Polyamines and colon cancer

Colorectal cancer is a major health problem in the western world and is ass ociated with significant morbidity and mortality. Diet makes a significant contribution to the disease, with high fat, low fibre diets correlating pos itively with a high incidence of colorectal cancer. Intracellular polyamine concentrations and ornithine decarboxylase activity are both increased in colorectal cancer tissue and in premalignant polyps. Measurement of the pol yamine content of serum and urine of individuals has been proposed as a dia gnostic marker of malignancy but a number of false positives make this idea untenable. There may, however, still be a role for the measurement of urin ary polyamine content as a means of monitoring the efficacy of therapy. Inh ibition of polyamine metabolism by polyamine analogues or by non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs may be useful in the chemotherapy and/or chemopreve ntion of colorectal cancer. Preliminary results suggest that a low polyamin e diet might be helpful as part of a health care plan for cancer patients. (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.