cancer and altitude

new_direction

*edited to add headlines of articles since links dont seem to work (just google)

articles;
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC305763... Cancer Mortality in Six Lowest Versus Six Highest Elevation Jurisdictions in the U.S.

an older article but interesting;

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0... Cancer and altitude. Does intracellular pH regulate cell division

Tissue culture growth rate is very sensitive to changes in pH of the external medium (H. Eagle), suggesting that the concentration in cells of ⁺H or ⁻OH might be the key factor controlling synthesis and eventual mitosis in normal and cancerous tissue. Since physiological acclimatization to higher altitudes produces changes in alkali-reserve in man and animals remaining at altitude, a possible correlation with statistics on cancer has been investigated. The drug acetazolamide has been used to produce "artificial acclimatization", producing similar acid-base changes, and is reported (Evans) to have produced relief of intractable pain in terminal cancer patients.

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/442088

The conclusions of the reviewers were that acetazolamide can produce a small increase in arterial PO₂ and fall in PCO₂,