4 ms·

Alcohol Activates Cellular Changes That Make Tumor Cells Spread

27 points by hachiya 17y ago

hachiya 17y ago
The Rush University Medical Center researchers also found evidence for a link between alcohol initiating cancer: In addition, Forsyth and his colleagues found that the same roster of biomarkers was activated in normal intestinal cells treated with alcohol, suggesting that alcohol not only worsens the profile of existing cancer cells but also may initiate cancer by stimulating the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.
noonespecial 17y ago
Sounds like they might be down far enough where they're just picking patterns out of the static. Like my old boss used to say, "If you feed a rat a box-car of anything, it gets cancer." From the same publication: Alcohol Drinking Linked To Reduced Risk Of Renal Cell Cancer http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070515175026.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070515175026.ht... Red Wine Protects The Prostate, Research Suggests http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070525215203.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070525215203.ht...
- scorpioxy 17y ago
  I agree. I think these publications that take things to the extreme are definitely bad for science and misleading to the general public. You just know that some news outlet, on a slow news days when the swine flu spread slows down, will take this and post it as its main headline. Anything not done in moderation will be bad for you. For example, drinking too much water will cause water intoxication.
tptacek 17y ago
Alcohol usage is down slightly from an apparent peak in the early '70s. Cancer is up, including colon cancer. The CDC has both alcohol and cancer statistics broken down by state. Do more Nevadans get colon cancer? Do fewer Arkansans? Because Nevadans drink a lot, and (believe or not), Arkansans don't. Correlation isn't causation, but causation usually comes with at least a little correlation.
- bvttf 17y ago
  I wouldn't want to say there's no correlation without controlling for, well, a lot. This looked at breast and colon cancer, which could be drowned out by noise from other cancers if this doesn't apply to them, for one. Other sources of cancer like diet, smoking, and being constantly irradiated would vary on a national level. Also, the post seems focused on cancer becoming metastatic, which wouldn't be the same as cancer incidence, and looking at cancer deaths isn't helpful either because of variations in treatment, etc.
- electromagnetic 17y ago
  Too many behaviours have changed since the early '70s to pick only alcohol out of the list and say that this change is causing or even correlated to the rest. Increased urbanization, increased consumption of processed foods (drastically), increased stress levels, decreased sleep levels . . . the list just goes on for changes. Then you have to question the quality of medical autopsies performed in the '70s and the examiners ability to determine cause of death. Then you have to question the causes of deaths and if there truly has been an increase.
zackattack 17y ago
Well alcohol already has been demonstrated to cause cancer because it depletes thiamine. Can someone please explain how tissue becomes mesenchymal from epithelium? I thought they were two different tissue types and therefore discrete classes of cancer.

27 points by hachiya 17y ago

The Rush University Medical Center researchers also found evidence for a link between alcohol initiating cancer: In addition, Forsyth and his colleagues found that the same roster of biomarkers was activated in normal intestinal cells treated with alcohol, suggesting that alcohol not only worsens the profile of existing cancer cells but also may initiate cancer by stimulating the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition.

noonespecial 17y ago

Sounds like they might be down far enough where they're just picking patterns out of the static. Like my old boss used to say, "If you feed a rat a box-car of anything, it gets cancer." From the same publication: Alcohol Drinking Linked To Reduced Risk Of Renal Cell Cancer http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070515175026.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070515175026.ht... Red Wine Protects The Prostate, Research Suggests http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070525215203.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070525215203.ht...

scorpioxy 17y ago
I agree. I think these publications that take things to the extreme are definitely bad for science and misleading to the general public. You just know that some news outlet, on a slow news days when the swine flu spread slows down, will take this and post it as its main headline. Anything not done in moderation will be bad for you. For example, drinking too much water will cause water intoxication.

tptacek 17y ago

Alcohol usage is down slightly from an apparent peak in the early '70s. Cancer is up, including colon cancer. The CDC has both alcohol and cancer statistics broken down by state. Do more Nevadans get colon cancer? Do fewer Arkansans? Because Nevadans drink a lot, and (believe or not), Arkansans don't. Correlation isn't causation, but causation usually comes with at least a little correlation.

bvttf 17y ago
I wouldn't want to say there's no correlation without controlling for, well, a lot. This looked at breast and colon cancer, which could be drowned out by noise from other cancers if this doesn't apply to them, for one. Other sources of cancer like diet, smoking, and being constantly irradiated would vary on a national level. Also, the post seems focused on cancer becoming metastatic, which wouldn't be the same as cancer incidence, and looking at cancer deaths isn't helpful either because of variations in treatment, etc.
electromagnetic 17y ago
Too many behaviours have changed since the early '70s to pick only alcohol out of the list and say that this change is causing or even correlated to the rest. Increased urbanization, increased consumption of processed foods (drastically), increased stress levels, decreased sleep levels . . . the list just goes on for changes. Then you have to question the quality of medical autopsies performed in the '70s and the examiners ability to determine cause of death. Then you have to question the causes of deaths and if there truly has been an increase.

zackattack 17y ago

Well alcohol already has been demonstrated to cause cancer because it depletes thiamine. Can someone please explain how tissue becomes mesenchymal from epithelium? I thought they were two different tissue types and therefore discrete classes of cancer.