In the Japanese nested case–control study, IGFBP-3 concentration was positively associated with pancreatic cancer risk; the risk of death from pancreatic cancer was increased with increasing levels of serum IGFBP-3, with the OR for the highest quartile being 2.53 (95% CI=0.93–6.85; Lin et al, 2004). This evidence concerns the gene IGFBP3 and familial pancreatic carcinoma.