Diet and Cancer

The fifth of the annual research conferences of the American Institute for Cancer Research was held September l-2, 1994, at the L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washington, DC. Appropriately, in view of current directions in research, the theme was "e;Diet and Cancer: Molecular Mechanisms of Interactions"e;. This proceedings volume contains chapters from the platform presentations and abstracts from the poster session held on the end of the first day. The subtopics for the tl;rree sessions held were "e;Retinoids, Vitamins A and Din Cancer Prevention and Therapy,"e; "e;Choline and Lipids: Signal Transduction, Gene Expression and Growth Regulation,"e; and "e;Dietary Factors and Regulation of Oncogenes, Growth and Differentiation. "e; A general overview on vitamins A and D emphasized that A and D, in addition to their established roles in vision, reproduction, and bone mineral homeostasis, may play significant roles in regulating cell function. Vitamin A metabolites, trans-retinoic acid and 9-cis-retinoic acid, regulate growth and differentiation. Furthermore, vitamin A- deprived animals were more susceptible to both spontaneous and carcinogen-induced tumors. Epidemiological studies showed a correlation between low A intake and higher incidences of certain types of human cancers. Conversely, all-trans retinoic acid is useful in treatment and control of certain types of cancer. Physiologically, Vitamin D is converted to the active form, l ,25-dihydroxyvitamin D (VD). VD regulates hormone production and secretion, myocardial contractility, vascu- 3 3 3 lar tone, and growth inhibition and differentiation.