More than 50 000 people will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and because the disease is often not diagnosed until an advanced stage, less than 10% of those diagnosed will still be alive in 5 years (http://1.usa.gov/1wOVy73). A new study, however, determined that people with 2 types of periodontal disease–causing oral bacteria have a greater risk of subsequently developing pancreatic cancer, thus pointing to a new avenue of research for investigating early markers of pancreatic cancer.