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. 1976 Aug;17(8):612–619. doi: 10.1136/gut.17.8.612

Coeliac disease, gluten-free diet, and malignancy.

G K Holmes, P L Stokes, T M Sorahan, P Prior, J A Waterhouse, W T Cooke
PMCID: PMC1411326  PMID: 789184

Abstract

Two hundred and two patients with coeliac disease or idiopathic steatorrhoea previously reported from this unit have been reviewed after a further 10 years of follow-up. Of 20 more deaths, 10 were due to malignancy. A separate study was made of all patients with histologically confirmed coeliac disease seen to the end of 1972 and followed up to the end of 1974. Twenty-one of the 43 deaths in this series were due to malignant tumours, of which 13 were reticulum cell sarcomas. There was no evidence that patients showing sub-optimal clinical response to gluten withdrawal or persisting falt jejunal biopsies were more prone to die of cancer. A gluten-free diet did not appear to be effective in preventing malignant complications, but a longer follow-up of patients will be necessary to provide a final answer to this question.

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Selected References

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