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Protease inhibitors and carcinoma of the esophagus
Author(s) -
Sammon Alastair M.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1097-0142(19980801)83:3<405::aid-cncr6>3.0.co;2-n
Subject(s) - medicine , protease , esophagus , consumption (sociology) , solanum nigrum , logistic regression , carcinoma , food science , biology , traditional medicine , enzyme , biochemistry , social science , sociology
BACKGROUND Squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus is endemic in parts of South Africa. Previous case‐control studies have shown many associations but no clear etiologic pathway has been established. METHODS A case‐control study of dietary and social factors was performed for 130 patient/control pairs matched for age, gender, and educational level. Staple diet, consumption of wild vegetables, use of tobacco, and traditional beer consumption were compared between the two groups. RESULTS New significant associations were found with the consumption of beans ( P = 0.016) and consumption of the full traditional diet of maize, pumpkin, and beans ( P = 0.027). Known associations with the consumption of Solanum nigrum ( P = 0.018) and with smoking ( P = 0.002) were confirmed by multiple regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS Solanum nigrum, beans, and pumpkin all contain protease inhibitors. Suppression of protease inhibitors can lead to overexpression of growth factors in the esophagus, resulting in a proliferative and oncogenic drive. Cancer 1998;83:405‐408. © 1998 American Cancer Society.