Cancer, stomach

In any case, I eventually recovered (and so did Jerry), but my immune system must have suffered serious damage, which manifested itself three years later, when I collapsed in my office one day and was found to be bleeding internally from a form of rare stomach cancer, which necessitated major surgery but was fortunately localized. I again recovered and have had no further difficulties since. Whether weakening and knocking out my immune system to overcome the previous problems had any effect is not clear, but it could have been a factor. Despite my health problems I was able to continue my work without much interruption, and the scientific productivity of my group has not... 

Epidemiologic studies in Japan indicate an increased risk of stomach cancer owing to consumption of broiled fish and meats (116). In the United States, stomach cancer incidence has steadily declined since the 1940s, whereas consumption of broiled food has increased (108). In addition, the average human intake of PAHs is only 0.002 of that required to produce cancer in half of animals fed. Test results are often contradictory (117) and many components of food, such as vitamin A, unsaturated fatty acids, thiols, nitrites, and even saUva itself, tend to inhibit the mutagenic activity of PAHs (118—120). Therefore, the significance of PAHs in the human diet remains unknown (121,109). 

Thus, it is uncertain to what extent the apparent protective effects of fruit and vegetable consumption on risk of stomach cancer can be attributable to their phytoestrogen content. This appears not to have been studied directly, and other constituents such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), a-tocopherol (vitamin E) and /1-carotene may be potentially protective. 

Nitrate is not a new problem. Excessive concentrations were recorded in many domestic wells in a survey conducted 100 years ago. What is new is the public concern about nitrate. This arises from two medical conditions that have been linked to nitrate methaemoglobinaemia ( bine-baby syndrome ) in infants, and stomach cancer in adults. Both are serious conditions, so we need to examine possible links carefully, but we need to note that these conditions are not caused by nitrate but by the nitrite to which it may be reduced. Nitrate itself is harmless and is most notable from a medical standpoint as a treatment for phosphatic kidney stones. 

Stomach Cancer. Of all the cancers, that of the stomach causes the second largest number of deaths. Only lung cancer kills more men, and only breast cancer kills more women. Stomach cancer is a painful and debilitating way to die, and the link to nitrate in water that has been suggested is a serious matter. There... 

The iV-nitroso compounds are carcinogenic, so the reaction could result in stomach cancer. This mechanism is essentially a hypothetical one, and tests were made to evaluate it. Three tests in particular suggested that the hypothesis was not correct, that is, that there is no clear link between stomach cancer and nitrate in water. 

One test, made at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, " identified two areas of the UK in which the incidence of stomach cancer was particularly high and two in which it was particularly low. People attending hospitals in these areas as visitors rather than patients were asked to provide samples of saliva. The hypothesis suggested that samples from the high-risk areas should contain more nitrite and nitrate than those from the low-risk areas, but this was not so. The samples from the low-risk populations had nitrate concentrations 50% greater than those from the high-risk areas. 

Another test looked at nitrate concentrations in 229 urban areas in the UK between 1969 and 1973 and at deaths from stomach cancer in the same areas at the same time. The hypothesis suggested that there should be a positive relationship between them. The results showed a negative one. 

Although there are a few caveats that need to be noted about these tests, the results suggest strongly that there is no real link between stomach cancer and nitrate in water. Further support for this conclusion comes from the fact that, while nitrate concentrations have been increasing in water during the past 30 years, the incidence of stomach cancer has been declining, and about ten years ago the absence of any link was accepted officially. ... 

Disinfection - water completely free of suspended sediment, is treated with a powerful oxidizing agent usually chlorine, chlorine and ammonia (chloramine), or ozone. A residual disinfectant is left in the water to prevent reinfection. Chlorine can form harmful byproducts and has suspected links to stomach cancer and miscarriages. 

Fermi lived only a little more than a decade after his hour of triumph. He spent most of this time at the University of Chicago, where, as in Rome, he surrounded himself with a group of outstanding gi aduate students, many of whom also later received Nobel Prizes. Fermi died of stomach cancer in 1954, but his name remains attached to many of the important contributions he made to physics. For example, element 100 is now called Fermium. 

Although NOT is not usually thought of as a "toxic" chemical, it does cause several health problems including methemoglobinemia in infants (blue-baby syndrome) and may also be linked to stomach cancer. Agricultural runoff can lead to significant, potentially harmful, concentrations of NOT in ground or surface water. 

NOMURA A, GROVE J S, STEMMERMANN G N, STEVENSON R K (1990) A prospective Study of stomach cancer and its relation to diet, cigarettes and alcohol consiunption. Cancer Res. 50 627-31. 

YU G p, HsiEH c c, WANG L Y, YU s z, LI x L and JIN T H (1995) Green tea consiunption and risk of stomach cancer a population-based case-control smdy in Shanghai, China , Cancer Causes Control, 6, 532-8. 

We demonstrated that the mutagenic activity from the reaction of nitrite and Sanma was carcinogenic (48). It is quite relevant that this product induced glandular stomach cancer in rats. Since the formation of the mutagen can be blocked by vitamin C, it would seem that the formation of glandular stomach cancer can also be so Inhibited. 

Piper, D.W. "Stomach Cancer" UICC Tech. Rept. 34 Union... 

Increase risk for the development of esophageal, colon, and stomach cancer. 

Mitomycin C is an alkylating agent that forms cross-links with DNA to inhibit DNA and RNA synthesis. The pharmacokinetics of mitomycin C are best described by a two-compartment model, with an a half-life of 8 minutes and a terminal half-life of 48 minutes.31 Liver metabolism is the primary route of elimination. Mitomycin C has shown clinical activity in the treatment of anal, bladder, cervix, gallbladder, esophageal, and stomach cancer. Side effects consist of myelosuppression and mucositis, and it is a vesicant. 

Demerir, T., Icli, F., Uzunalimoglu, O., Kucuk, O., Diet and stomach cancer incidence. A case-control study in Turkey, Cancer, 2, 169, 1991. 

Yu, G., Hsieh, C., Wang, L., Yu, S., Li, X., et al, Green-tea consumption of risk of stomach cancer A population-based case-control study in Shanghai, China, Cancer Causes Control, 6, 532, 1995. 

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