Objective To describe the clinical and pathological features and survival of juvenile patients with pancreatic carcinoma ( age ≤ 40 years old ) and to explore whether pancreatic carcinoma in young patients was a particular subtype. Methods As a case control study, the clinical data and follow-up data of sporadic 29 cases diagnosed as juvenile pancreatic carcinoma in Ruijin hospital from January, 2000 to December, 2007 were analyzed and compared with randomly selected 89 cases of senile eases (age≥ 61 years old) with pancreatic carcinoma. Results The percentage of juvenile pancreatic carcinoma was 3.6% (29/811 ) and the male/female ratio was 2.5: 1. The incidence rate of abdominal pain was significantly higher in the juvenile patients than in the senile patients (72.4% vs 48.3% , P < 0.05 ) ;the incidence of malnutrition was significantly lower in juvenile patients than that in senile patients ( 13.8% vs 38.0%, P <0.05 ) ;and the rate of patients with advanced stage disease ( Ⅲ～Ⅳ ) was significantly higher in juvenile patients than in senile patients (69.0% vs 55. 1%, P < 0.05). The percentage of radical operation in juvenile patients was not statistically different from that in senile patients ( 34.5% vs 30.34%, P > 0.05 ), and analysis using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test revealed no significant difference in overall survival between the two groups ( median survival time : 7.0 vs 8.0 months, P > 0.05 ). Conclusions The age onset of the pancreatic carcinoma tended to be younger. The predominant clinical manifestations of juvenile pancreatic carcinoma were abdominal pain or back pain. Juvenile pancreatic carcinoma may be a particular subtype of pancreatic cancer.