Skip to main content
PMC home page
British Journal of Cancer logoLink to British Journal of Cancer
. 1993 Dec;68(6):1195–1198. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1993.503

Micronutrients in gastrointestinal cancer.

S N Georgiannos 1, P M Weston 1, A W Goode 1
PMCID: PMC1968662  PMID: 8260373

Abstract

The monitoring of micronutrients and the relationship between dietary intake and micronutrient status prior to and after surgery in patients with histologically proven gastrointestinal adenocarcinoma, both weight-stable and weight-losing (> 7.5% of their pre-illness weight) has been studied and the results compared to controls. Plasma vitamin C and red blood cell thiamine levels were significantly lower in weight-losing cancer patients when compared to their weight-stable counterparts (P < 0.05 and P < 0.02 respectively). Weight-losing patients had a lower vitamin C (P < 0.05) and thiamine (P < 0.002) intake, and a higher elevation in plasma C-reactive protein and a lower prealbumin level (P < 0.02), when compared to both weight-stable cancer patients and controls. Plasma vitamin C, prealbumin and C-reactive protein levels remained unchanged after curative resections of the tumours compared to a preoperative value, and there was a highly significant correlation between plasma vitamin C and dietary intake of vitamin C. This study suggests that the lower vitamin C and thiamine status in weight-losing gastrointestinal cancer patients prior to surgery is due to a lower micronutrient intake and an acute phase response to their illness. Dietary intake of vitamin C appears to be the major factor in determining plasma vitamin C concentration following curative surgical resection.

Full text

PDF
1195

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Anthony H. M., Schorah C. J. Severe hypovitaminosis C in lung-cancer patients: the utilization of vitamin C in surgical repair and lymphocyte-related host resistance. Br J Cancer. 1982 Sep;46(3):354–367. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1982.211. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Cameron E., Pauling L., Leibovitz B. Ascorbic acid and cancer: a review. Cancer Res. 1979 Mar;39(3):663–681. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Hume R., Weyers E. Changes in leucocyte ascorbic acid during the common cold. Scott Med J. 1973 Jan;18(1):3–7. doi: 10.1177/003693307301800102. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Husami T., Abumrad N. N. Adverse metabolic consequences of nutritional support: micronutrients. Surg Clin North Am. 1986 Oct;66(5):1049–1069. doi: 10.1016/s0039-6109(16)44040-5. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Irvin T. T., Chattopadhyay D. K., Smythe A. Ascorbic acid requirements in postoperative patients. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1978 Jul;147(1):49–55. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Kimura M., Itokawa Y. Determination of thiamin and thiamin phosphate esters in blood by liquid chromatography with post-column derivatization. Clin Chem. 1983 Dec;29(12):2073–2075. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Krasner N., Dymock I. W. Ascorbic acid deficiency in malignant diseases: a clinical and biochemical study. Br J Cancer. 1974 Aug;30(2):142–145. doi: 10.1038/bjc.1974.125. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. McGinn F. P., Hamilton J. C. Ascorbic acid levels in stored blood and in patients undergoing surgery after blood transfusion. Br J Surg. 1976 Jul;63(7):505–507. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800630702. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. McKeown-Eyssen G., Holloway C., Jazmaji V., Bright-See E., Dion P., Bruce W. R. A randomized trial of vitamins C and E in the prevention of recurrence of colorectal polyps. Cancer Res. 1988 Aug 15;48(16):4701–4705. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Moxley R. T., Griggs R. C., Forbes G. B., Goldblatt D., Donohoe K. Influence of muscle wasting on oral glucose tolerance testing. Clin Sci (Lond) 1983 Jun;64(6):601–609. doi: 10.1042/cs0640601. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Newton H. M., Schorah C. J., Habibzadeh N., Morgan D. B., Hullin R. P. The cause and correction of low blood vitamin C concentrations in the elderly. Am J Clin Nutr. 1985 Oct;42(4):656–659. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/42.4.656. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Singh M. Effect of thiamin deficiency on pancreatic acinar cell function. Am J Clin Nutr. 1982 Sep;36(3):500–504. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/36.3.500. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Thomas W. R., Holt P. G. Vitamin C and immunity: an assessment of the evidence. Clin Exp Immunol. 1978 May;32(2):370–379. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Vallance S. Changes in plasma and buffy layer vitamin C following surgery. Br J Surg. 1988 Apr;75(4):366–370. doi: 10.1002/bjs.1800750424. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from British Journal of Cancer are provided here courtesy of Cancer Research UK

RESOURCES