[Vitamins A and E in digestive cancers]

Vitamins A and E, transthyretin (TT) and retinol binding protein (RBP) plasma levels were assayed in 70 patients having a recently diagnosed digestive cancer and in 116 controls. After adjustment for sex and age, vitamin A or RBP and TT were found lowered in digestive cancer but vitamin E was lowered only in esophagus cancer. The relationship of vitamin levels to the relative risk of digestive cancer was calculated by multiple logistic conditional regression. TT level remained the only significant parameter. Since TT levels are strongly influenced by the nutritional status of patients, our results suggest that the decreased blood levels of vitamin A and its carriers observed in digestive cancer are the consequence of nutritional alterations evoked by the disease.