Intake of Cantonese-style salted fish as a cause of nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Ho (1971) of Hong Kong first proposed consumption of Cantonese-style salted fish, a traditional food among southern Chinese, as a possible risk factor for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) in this high-risk population. Four case-control studies have examined Ho's hypothesis; all results are supportive. The most convincing evidence of a causal association between intake of salted fish and NPC derives from a recent case-control study of young Hong Kong Chinese. It is estimated that over 90% of NPC cases under age 35 in Hong Kong are due to intake of this food during childhood. Preliminary experimental data on Cantonese-style salted fish indicate that N-nitroso compounds may be involved in the carcinogenicity of this human food.
Yu
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MC
Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
Henderson
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BE
D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005396:Fish Products / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000139:chemically induced*; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY