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Effects of Alcohol on Tumor Growth, Metastasis, Immune Response, and Host Survival

Most research involving alcohol and cancer concerns the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk and the mechanisms of carcinogenesis. This review relates the amount and duration of alcohol intake in humans and in animal models of cancer to tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion, metas...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Meadows, Gary G., Zhang, Hui
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism 2015
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4590626/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26695753
Descripción
Sumario:Most research involving alcohol and cancer concerns the relationship between alcohol consumption and cancer risk and the mechanisms of carcinogenesis. This review relates the amount and duration of alcohol intake in humans and in animal models of cancer to tumor growth, angiogenesis, invasion, metastasis, immune response, and host survival in specific types and subtypes of cancer. Research on the influence of alcohol drinking on human cancer patients is limited. Although there is more information in animal models of cancer, many aspects still are ill defined. More research is needed to define the mechanisms that underlie the role of alcohol on cancer progression in both animals and humans. Activation of the immune system can play a positive role in keeping cancer under control, but this also can facilitate cancer progression. Additionally, a functional immune system is required for cancer patients to achieve an optimal response to conventional chemotherapy. Insight into the underlying mechanisms of these interactions could lead to effective immunotherapeutic approaches to treat alcoholics with cancer. Defining the epigenetic mechanisms that modulate cancer progression also has great potential for the development of new treatment options not only for treating alcoholics with cancer but also for treating other alcohol-induced diseases.