Nitrosobenzylmethylamine, zinc deficiency and oesophageal cancer.

In an earlier study, we found reduced levels of zinc in the blood, hair and oesophageal tissue from patients with oesophageal cancer, compared with those in matched control subjects. Using a rat model, dietary zinc deficiency was found to increase the incidence and shorten the lag time for oesophageal tumour induction by NBMA. Zinc levels were also lower in samples of serum, hair, oesophagus and testis of the zinc-deficient rats, treated with the carcinogen or untreated, compared with the control rats, treated or untreated.