W-6 Fatty Acid and Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Malignant tumors that take hold of colon and rectum add about 945 thousand new cases every year worldwide, being the third most common cause of cancer in the world and second in developed countries. Amongst the main risk factors for the colorectal cancer, it is included diet with high content of fat, as well as the inflammatory illnesses of colon, such as chronic ulcerative colitis and Cronh's disease. At least one third of all cases of cancer in human beings can be associated with the diet and influenced by lifestyle. A drastic change in theconsumption of polyunsaturated fatty acid, in a short period of time, may be related to changes in the genetic standards established during human evolution. The excessive production of eicosanoids derived from the araquidonic acid, which has the linoleic acid as precursory, have been involved in many inflammatory and autoimmune disturbances, also in the carcinogenesis process. This study is a bibliographical review of articles published in the past twelve years, obtained from magazines linked to virtual libraries (PubMed, Scielo, Medline, Bireme), with the objective to discuss the association between w-6 fatty acid in the promotion of colorectal cancer.