A. Giacosa - Böcker

This volume investigates the links between the incidence of diet-related cancers and dietary patterns within Europe. It presents current understanding of the major cancers thought to be caused by diet alongside detailed data on regional variations in dietary composition, and collates these sets of information to illustrate associations between foods and nutrients and the risk of cancer at specific sites. There is particular discussion of the role of fat, meat, fibre, cereals and fresh vegetables. The importance of the "Mediterranean diet", and regional variance in this diet within Europe, is examined. Japanese and US dietary evidence is also considered. This book highlights the debate on cancer and diet, and points the way ahead for important new research.

The European Organization for Cooperation in Cancer Prevention Studies (ECP) was established in 1981 to promote collaboration between scientists working in the various European countries on cancer causation and prevention. In order to achieve this aim, various working group- to deal with specific cancers or aspects of cancer aetiology, and to explore the opportunities for advances on a cooperative European basis - were established. It was also decided to hold annual symposia to draw general attention to fields in which there seemed to be many opportunities for progress in matters of prevention. These symposia have been devoted to themes of high priority to cancer prevention: "Tobacco and Cancer" (1983), "Hormones and Sexual Factors in Human Cancer Aetiology" (1984), "Diet and Human Carcinogenesis" (1985), "Concepts and Theories in Carcinogenesis" (1986)," Preventive Strategies for Cancer related to Immune Deficiencies" (1987), "Gastric Carcinogenesis" (1988), and "Breast, Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer: Aetiological and Epidemiological Relationships" (1989). This volume contains the proceedings of the 1990 ECP symposium held in Heidelberg, FRG, at the Deutsches Krebsforschungszentrum (DKFZ), on April 2-3 on "Causation and Prevention of Human Cancer". We are indebted to the speakers for their contribution during the symposium and for their prompt submission of manuscripts. We are grateful to the sponsors, SmithKline Diagnostics and Rohm Pharma. Our special thanks go to Dr M.C. stanei-Gueur for preparing and typing the camera forms of all manuscripts.

This book evaluates new data on diet and cancer and uses it to update the dietary guidelines produces by ECP and IUNS in 1985. It is the proceedings of the 9th Annual Symposium of the European Organization for Cooperation in Cancer Prevention Studies held in Madrid during October, 1991. The first section updates general background material (dietary carcinogens, animal studies), the second section concerns diet and cancer at specific sites and also specific nutrients in human cancer. The third section addresses problems with guidelines per se and the fourth the Mediterranean diet in relation to cancer. These chapters, together with the general conclusions reached in a parallel workshop, represent a review of the current status of diet and cancer and also provides the background to the conclusions that guidelines as formulated in 1985 can no longer be sustained and that they need to be replaced by guidelines that concern food groups instread of nutrients and are targetted at particular groups rather than at the population in general.

The European Cancer Prevention Organization (ECP) was established in 1981 with the objective of developing studies of the aetiology and preven­ tion of cancer through concerted-action European collaborative studies. It achieves this through the organization of annual symposia, the organiz­ ation of workshops on subjects of topical interest and the organization of research projects. The annual symposia have all been on themes of high priority for cancer prevention; namely Tobacco and Cancer (1983), Hormones and Sexual Factors in Human Cancer Aetiology (1984), Diet and Human Carcinogen­ esis (1985), Concepts and Theories in Carcinogenesis (1986), Causation and Prevention of Colorectal Cancer (1987), Gastric Carcinogenesis (1988), Breast, Ovarian and Endometrial Cancer: Aetiological and Epi­ demiological Relationships (1989) and Causation and Prevention of Human Cancer (1990). At the time of the 1985 symposium a workshop was organized in conjunction with IUNS to formulate a set of dietary guidelines for the prevention of human cancer. Those guidelines were published inNutrition and Cancer, but since then there has been a massive increase in information on diet and cancer and so it was decided that in 1991 we would again have a symposium and an associated workshop on public education on diet and cancer. The symposium was structured into a number of sections, the first of which included a review of the various sets of published guidelines together with general background papers on dietary carcinogens, anticarcinogens (particularly the vitamins) and the value of animal models in studying diet and human cancer.