Risk factors

Factors that can increase the risk of ampullary cancer include:

• Your age. Ampullary cancer is more common in adults older than 70.
• Being male. Males are slightly more likely to develop ampullary cancer than are females.
• Inherited syndromes that increase cancer risk. Some gene mutations passed through generations of your family can increase your risk of ampullary cancer significantly. Only a small percentage of ampullary cancers are linked to inherited genes. The most common inherited syndromes that increase ampullary cancer risk are familial adenomatous polyposis and Lynch syndrome, which is also known as hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer.