Like Eating Salted Fish One Cause Cancer Incidence

Several studies have shown that eating salted fish was one factor causing cancer or nasopharyngeal carcinoma. One of the substances contained in dried fish called nitrosamines is the trigger factor.


"Nitrosamines is a carcinogenic substance, which can cause cancer," said Professor of Faculty of Medicine, University of Indonesia Prof. Dr. Bambang Hermani, Sp. ENT-KL (K), Wednesday (01/06/2011) in Jakarta.


Nitrosamine substance will emerge in the process of salting and drying of salted fish in the hot sun. Sunlight reacts with nitrite (the reshuffle of protein) in the fish meat to form nitrosamines compounds.


Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a type of malignant tumors of head and neck region most commonly found in Indonesia. Based on the sequence in the Asian region, nasopharynx case most commonly found in southern China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia.


NPC is found endemic in southern China countries that predominately eating salted fish. In a study in southern China revealed that the villagers who ate lots of salted fish was higher the number of patients nasofaringnya. Especially in Europe, said Bambang, the incidence of nasopharyngeal cancer is extremely rare, even till now have not found cases of NPC in whites.


Bambang said, salted fish produced in Indonesia is still relatively safe to eat, although he advised people not to eat them too often.


"Salted fish in southern China and Indonesia is no difference. What is clear, that toxin levels. In Indonesia there has been no research that says if salted fish as a causative factor. If baseball once in a while eat nothing, the important thing is not the long term," he said.


Nasopharyngeal cancer, said Bambang, not caused by one single factor alone, but multifactorial, such as genetics, diet, nutrition, chronic disease, smoking, alcohol, smoke, dust, and Epstein Barr virus infection.


Several other factors also influence or trigger the occurrence of NPC, which is working in environments exposed to gases and industrial chemicals, iron smelting, formaldehinda, and sawdust.


Based on data from patients treated at Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM), Jakarta, found more than 100 new cases of patients with nasopharyngeal each year. Most of the patients who came for a treatment already in an advanced stage.


source: kompas.com