Pancreatic cancer the most deadly type of any common cancer. It is hard to catch early. In the U.S. in 2015, it is estimated that about 48,960 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, and about 40,560 people will die of pancreatic cancer. The disease accounts for about 3 percent of all cancer cases, and about 7 percent of cancer deaths. The average lifetime risk of developing pancreatic cancer is about 1 in 67.