Vitamin E serum levels and gastric cancer: results from a cohort of patients in Tuscany, Italy

Alpha-tocopherol has been reported to play an important role against oxidat ive damage and in the inhibition of cell transforming and mutagenesis. We a nalysed vitamin E serum levels in 51 cases of patients affected by gastric cancer at different stages of the disease, and in 49 age-matched controls. All patients had normal values of alpha-tocopherol. However, when patients have been grouped according to histotype of gastric lesions, a significant vitamin E increase has been found in diffuse gastric cancer histotype compa red to the intestinal histotype. Our results suggest that a correlation bet ween vitamin E serum levels and gastric cancer histotype should be consider ed. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.