15/11/05 Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA (NewsRx.com) -- Tocopherols were associated with higher risk of gastric cardia cancer, whereas dietary intake of fruits, vitamin C, tocopherols, and lycopene seemed protective for gastric noncardia cancer.

According to a study from the United States, "The effect of consumption of fruits, vegetables, and antioxidants on the incidence of gastric cancer is inconclusive. In this prospective cohort study, we report the association of dietary intake of fruits, vegetables, antioxidants, and baseline serum levels of antioxidants with subsequent incidence of gastric cardia cancer (GCC) and gastric noncardia cancer (GNCC)."

"Participants of this study were 29,133 male smokers recruited into the (x-Tocopherol, beta-Carotene Cancer Prevention study between 1985 and 1988," described M. Nouraie and colleagues, National Cancer Institute. "At baseline, a self-administered food use questionnaire with 276 food items was used to assess dietary intake. Baseline serum samples were stored at -70 degrees C."

The researchers determined that "During a median follow-up of 12 years, 243 incident gastric adenocarcinomas (64 GCC and 179 GNCC) were diagnosed in this cohort, of whom 220 (57 GCC and 163 GNCC) had complete dietary information.

"For GCC, high dietary intake of retinol was protective [hazard ratio (HR), 0.46; 95% confidence interval (95% CI), 0.27-0.781>, but high intake of alpha-tocopherol (HR, 2.06; 95% CI, 1.20-3.54) and gamma-tocopherol (HR, 1.94; 95% CI, 1.13-3.34) increased risk. For GNCC, higher intakes of fruits (HR, 0.51; 95% CI, 0.37-0.71), vitamin C (HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.41-0.86), alpha-tocopherol (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.55-1.10), gamma-tocopherol (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.49-0.96), and lycopene (HR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.47-0.95) were protective."

"Our results suggest." concluded investigators, "a difference in the effect of some of these exposures on GCC and GNCC. Tocopherols were associated with higher risk of GCC, whereas dietary intake of fruits, vitamin C, tocopherols, and lycopene seemed protective for GNCC."

Nouraie and colleagues published the results of their research in Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention (Fruits, vegetables, and antioxidants and risk of gastric cancer among male smokers. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev, 2005;14(9):2087-2092).

For additional information, contact F. Kamangar, National Cancer Institute, Division Cancer Epidemiology & Genetics, 6120 Execut Blve, Suite 320, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.

The publisher of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention can be contacted at: American Association Cancer Research, 615 Chestnut St., 17TH Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19106-4404, USA.

This article was prepared by Medical Letter on the CDC & FDA editors from staff and other reports.