Advances in Nutrition and Cancer 2: Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Nutrition and Cancer, Held October 20-23, 1998, in Naples, Italy ... Experimental Medicine and Biology Book 472)

This volume includes contributions presented at the Second International Sym­ posium on Nutrition and Cancer, held in Naples, Italy, in October 1998 at the National Tumor Institute "Fondazione Pascale." During the Conference, experts from different disciplines discussed pivotal and timely subjects on the interactions between human nutrition and the development of malignancies. Comparing the themes of this Meeting with those discussed at the First Sympo­ sium in 1992, the major scientific advancements certainly derive from the extensive use of molecular approaches to perform research in nutrition. Moreover, the fundamental observation of R. Doll and R. Peto (1981), which suggested that at least 35% of all cancers (with large differences among different tumors) might be prevented by dietary regimens, has been definitively confirmed by epidemiological studies. On the other hand, the relationships between diet and cancer are quite intricate and complex; it is difficult, and at the same time not methodologically correct, to reduce them to simple terms. Metabolic and hormonal factors, contaminants and biological agents, and deficiency of specific protective nutrients are all pieces of the same puzzle. Front Matter....Pages i-xi Diet and Cancer....Pages 1-19 EPIC-Italy....Pages 21-28 Nutritional Factors in Human Cancers....Pages 29-42 Alcohol and Cancer....Pages 43-49 Energy Sources and Risk of Cancer of the Breast and Colon-Rectum in Italy....Pages 51-55 Organochlorines and Breast Cancer....Pages 57-66 Olive Oil Consumption and Cancer Mortality in Italy....Pages 67-71 Cell Division Cycle Alterations and Human Tumors....Pages 73-88 Regulation of p53 Function in Normal and Malignant Cells....Pages 89-100 The Role of Micronutrients in DNA Synthesis and Maintenance....Pages 101-113 Biological Effects of Hydroxytyrosol, a Polyphenol from Olive Oil Endowed with Antioxidant Activity....Pages 115-130 Protective Effects of Butyric Acid in Colon Cancer....Pages 131-147 Short-Chain Fatty Acid in the Human Colon....Pages 149-158 Brassica Vegetables and Cancer Prevention....Pages 159-168 Stilbenes and Bibenzyls with Potential Anticancer or Chemopreventive Activity....Pages 169-186 Post-Translational Modifications of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor-5A (eIF-5a) as a New Target for Anti-Cancer Therapy....Pages 187-198 Diet, Fibers, and Colon Cancer....Pages 199-206 Phytochemicals as Modulators of Cancer Risk....Pages 207-221 Low Dose Exposure to Carcinogens and Metabolic Gene Polymorphisms....Pages 223-230 Carcinogen-DNA Adducts as Tools in Risk Assessment....Pages 231-240 Significance of Genetic Polymorphisms in Cancer Susceptibility....Pages 241-251 DNA Repair Pathways and Cancer Prevention....Pages 253-267 Cereals, Fiber, and Cancer Prevention....Pages 269-272 Carnitine System and Tumor....Pages 273-291 Back Matter....Pages 293-313

The major scientific advancements in the study of nutrition and cancer in the last six years derive from the extensive use of molecular approaches to perform research in the nutritional field. Moreover, the fundamental observation of R. Doll and R. Peto (1981), which suggested that at least 35% of all cancers (with large differences among different tumors) might be prevented by dietary regimens, has been definitively confirmed by epidemiological studies.
The molecular studies reported in this volume include all of the major aspects of investigation on human nutrition and malignant transformation. In the last decade a large number of compounds responsible for the biological activity of human foods has been identified and characterized. These molecules not only include important and well-known risk factors but, most promising, compounds, which might exert chemopreventive activity. Among them, antioxidants (such as vitamins, phenols, and lycopene) seem to play a critical role in reducing the risk of cancer at different anatomical sites, including colon, breast, and prostate malignancies. Other molecules, derived from fiber bacterial intestinal degradation (short fatty acids), are of interest, even if their importance has not been completely unraveled and is still the subject of debate.

Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Nutrition and Cancer, held October 20-23, 1998, in Naples, Italy