Nutritional aspects in oesophageal carcinogenesis (review).

The role of diet in carcinogenesis has received much attention in recent years. The incidence of oesophageal cancer varies widely in different geographical regions and oesophageal cancer shows one of the greatest correlations between the diet type and eventual malignant development. Oesophageal carcinogenesis involves the combined action of predispositional, initiatory, and promotional factors. Specific dietary deficiencies (vitamins and minerals) may create a sensitized "environment" for the combined activities of initiatory and promotional factors. Other predispositional factors include physical abrasion (irritant vegetal components, thermal injury) and chemical injuries (alcohol, tobacco). Initiatory factors such as nitrosamines or their precursors in the diet are also considered.