Published online Oct 6, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i19.4416
Peer-review started: May 6, 2020
First decision: June 18, 2020
Revised: June 26, 2020
Accepted: August 26, 2020
Article in press: August 26, 2020
Published online: October 6, 2020
Core Tip: It is well-known that acute pancreatitis (AP) might be the earliest clinical presentation of pancreatic cancer (PC). However, the relationship between AP and the risk of PC remains unclear due to inconsistent and contradictory results. In the current study, we conducted a meta-analysis of retrospective and prospective studies to explore the association between AP and PC risk. Our findings suggest that AP might not be a direct cause of PC risk, but its occurrence could be an indicator of PC. Future studies are expected to analyze the association between AP and PC risk across different follow-up times in order to improve early PC identification. Overall, more focus should be directed towards improving PC prevention approaches, of which a key element is early screening for patients at the onset of AP.