There is no cancer in my family on either side...mother's or father's. However, my brother passed away in 2013 from pancreatic cancer. In researching this rare type of cancer, there are no clear cut factors that cause this highly undetectable disease. My brother just happened to have a very diligent surgeon who knew the gall bladder was not causing all of my his issues. With no family or genetic risks of cancer apparent, I am perplexed as to how this happened to my brother.