Early-onset pancreatic cancer research: making sense of confounding and bias

A historically understudied group with increasing incidence, patients with early-onset pancreatic cancer (EOPC) appear to have different treatment patterns than patients with average-age-onset pancreatic cancer (AOPC). Differences in the causal pathways of confounders and sources of bias common to all retrospective research suggest that future research is needed to confirm findings and that interventions to increase the receipt of appropriate treatment and to improve outcomes may differ between patients with EOPC and patients with AOPC.