Nutritional Chemoprevention of Urinary Tract Tumors (UTT) Induced by Lithogenic Agents: Risk for UTT in Children Exposed to Melamine-Contaminated Milk Formulas

Abstract

Urinary tract tumors are tenth in frequency, and many environmental carcinogens are excreted by urine. Interplay between chronic inflammatory urolithiasis and urothelial carcinogenesis is not well understood. Experimental evidences show that dietary melamine induce these events even at low concentrations. This is important because thousands of children were exposed to melamine through intentionally contaminated milk formula worldwide. We propose that an increased risk for urinary tumors in adult life may occur and screenings for early urinary signs may be necessary. Therefore, urothelial biology, melamine carcinogenic potential, and related epidemiology are discussed, recommending a preventive dietary polyunsaturated fatty acid-based supplementation, since they modulate such interplay in rodents.

Keywords:

• cancer
• chronic inflammation
• melamine
• polyunsaturated fatty acid
• toxicology
• urinary tract tumors

Acknowledgments

This work has been supported by funds provided by SECYT-UNC, MINCYT-CBA, CONICET and ANPCYT (Argentina). The authors declare no conflicts of interest.