The possible role of nitrosamines in the link between alcohol consumption and esophageal cancer in man.

Ethanol in amounts equivalent to a man drinking a pint of beer has a dramatic effect on the metabolism and distribution of nitrosamines in rats. It prevents the first pass clearance of dimethylnitrosamine and thus exposes the extrahepatic organs to oral doses of this carcinogen. By selectively inhibiting metabolism in liver and kidney, ethanol increases the amount of diethylnitrosamine activated in the esophagus between 1.8- and 4.6-fold. It is suggested that there may be a link between these observations and the increase in human esophageal cancer which is associated with alcohol consumption.