PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - G K Holmes
AU  - P L Stokes
AU  - T M Sorahan
AU  - P Prior
AU  - J A Waterhouse
AU  - W T Cooke
TI  - Coeliac disease, gluten-free diet, and malignancy.
AID  - 10.1136/gut.17.8.612
DP  - 1976 Aug 01
TA  - Gut
PG  - 612--619
VI  - 17
IP  - 8
4099  - http://gut.bmj.com/content/17/8/612.short
4100  - http://gut.bmj.com/content/17/8/612.full
SO  - Gut1976 Aug 01; 17
AB  - Two hundred and two patients with coeliac disease or idiopathic steatorrhoea previously reported from this unit have been reviewed after a further 10 years of follow-up. Of 20 more deaths, 10 were due to malignancy. A separate study was made of all patients with histologically confirmed coeliac disease seen to the end of 1972 and followed up to the end of 1974. Twenty-one of the 43 deaths in this series were due to malignant tumours, of which 13 were reticulum cell sarcomas. There was no evidence that patients showing sub-optimal clinical response to gluten withdrawal or persisting falt jejunal biopsies were more prone to die of cancer. A gluten-free diet did not appear to be effective in preventing malignant complications, but a longer follow-up of patients will be necessary to provide a final answer to this question.