Influence of Heavy Metals from the Flooded Areas of Tuzla Canton on the Growth of Stomach Adenocarcinoma

The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between food contaminated with heavy metals and growing number of stomach adenocarcinoma patients in Tuzla Canton after flooding of the river Spreča catchment area. The scope of work is retrospective and prospective five-year study (2010-2015) of 1,000 patients, who had stomach adenocarcinoma surgery in the department of surgery, University Clinical Centre Tuzla, and answered questions about diet. The patients were predominantly male, aged 60 to 70 (1.5: 1). The data on heavy metal contamination in farmlands in the river catchment area were provided by the Federal Department of Agropedology. The malignity was reported to the department of public health in Tuzla Canton. The results showed an increase in number of patients with stomach adenocarcinoma in the industrially developed municipalities who consumed vegetables contaminated with heavy metals after the floods. The smallest number of patients who underwent stomach adenocarcinoma surgery comes from the municipalities situated out of the flood plain, where farmland was not contaminated. It is concluded that most of the patients having stomach adenocarcinoma came from the municipalities with contaminated agricultural soil. The diet included vegetables, meat, and dairy products.