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High altitude and cancer mortality

Thiersch, Markus; Swenson, Erik R (2018). High altitude and cancer mortality. High Altitude Medicine & Biology, 19(2):116-123.

Abstract

Thiersch, Markus, and Erik R. Swenson. High altitude and cancer mortality. High Alt Med Biol 00:000-000, 2017.-Humans living at high altitude (HA) are exposed to chronic (hypobaric) hypoxia. Despite the permanent stress of hypoxic exposure, humans populating HA areas have reduced cancer mortality over a broad spectrum of cancer types. In fact, the majority of the physiological adaptive processes at HA occurring in response to hypoxia might be the driving force for reduced cancer mortality at HA. In this review, we summarize epidemiological and animal studies that compare cancer incidence and cancer mortality between HA and low altitude or between hypoxia and normoxia, respectively. We discuss the potential role of oxygen-independent and oxygen-dependent mechanisms that might contribute to reduced cancer mortality at HA. Reactive oxygen species and their detoxification as well as the hypoxia-inducible factors are especially promising targets and may be related to why cancer mortality is reduced at HA. In addition, we briefly discuss two aspects with a proven impact on tumorigenesis, namely the immune system and tumor surveillance as well as HA-induced metabolic changes. Further animal and clinical studies are clearly needed to explain why cancer mortality is reduced at HA and to decide whether HA or hypoxia-based therapeutic approaches could be implemented for cancer treatment. However, exposure to HA activates multiple adaptive mechanisms (oxygen independent and oxygen dependent) sharing common pathways as well as activating counteracting pathways, which complicate the identification of specific HA-induced mechanisms of tumor suppression.

Additional indexing

Item Type:Journal Article, refereed, original work
Communities & Collections:04 Faculty of Medicine > Zurich Center for Integrative Human Physiology (ZIHP)
05 Vetsuisse Faculty > Veterinärwissenschaftliches Institut > Institute of Veterinary Physiology
Dewey Decimal Classification:570 Life sciences; biology
Scopus Subject Areas:Life Sciences > Physiology
Health Sciences > Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
Uncontrolled Keywords:cancer mortality, high altitude, immune system, oxygen
Language:English
Date:1 February 2018
Deposited On:27 Feb 2018 09:51
Last Modified:18 Oct 2024 01:38
Publisher:Mary Ann Liebert
ISSN:1527-0297
Additional Information:Final publication is available from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/ham.2017.0061
OA Status:Green
Publisher DOI:https://doi.org/10.1089/ham.2017.0061
PubMed ID:29389240
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