Day 035 - 12 Oct 94 - Page 38
1 A. For example, I attended a conference where he was in
2 quite sharp disagreement with the National Cancer
3 Institutes, Head of Cancer Prevention and Control.
4
5 Q. In what sense?
6 A. Dr. Willett, although he has provided evidence that
7 dietary factors are linked with breast cancer, his
8 contention or, at least on the basis of his research, as
9 I recall it at the time, was that the focus had to do more
10 with vitamins and minerals so far as was known.
11
12 He was discounting the link with fat in breast cancer,
13 while the opinion expressed by Peter Greenwald, who was
14 (and is) the Director of Cancer Prevention and Control of
15 the National Cancer Institute, was that while minerals and
16 vitamins certainly are important, and Dr. Greenwald's
17 writing on that subject is very, very well known,
18 Dr. Greenwald also felt that the evidence on fat was quite
19 important.
20
21 Q. Yes, I entirely accept that. We have seen and we have
22 some of Dr. Greenwald's writings on the subject. There is
23 one, for example, in Dr. Arnott's references and it is
24 true to say that Dr. Greenwald takes a somewhat position
25 in relation to fat and breast cancer than Dr. Willett
26 does. What I am concerned to know from you, Dr. Barnard,
27 is whether you regard Dr. Willett as so cranky or
28 controversial that we should disregard what he says on
29 these matters?
30 A. Some people do in the United States, but I do like to
31 read what he has to say, I think.
32
33 Q. Perhaps we should have a look at it. It is right to say,
34 is it not, that his overall view is that there really is
35 not any causal connection to be acknowledged in relation
36 to diet and breast cancer, but that the evidence is much
37 stronger in relation to colon cancer?
38 A. No, that is not an accurate statement of what I have
39 understood Dr. Willett's writing to say, no.
40
41 Q. We had better look at this Review Article of, I repeat,
42 March 1989. May we just look, first of all, at the
43 beginning of it? I will not read the first -- perhaps
44 I will read the first paragraph: "Among non-smokers,
45 cancers of the breast and colon are the most important
46 malignancies in Western societies. By the age of 75
47 years, over eight per cent of women in the United States
48 will develop breast cancer and about three per cent of
49 both sexes will be diagnosed as having colon cancer.
50 Another one to two per cent of men and women will develop
51 rectal cancer by the time they are 75; although this is
52 sometimes not distinguished from colon cancer, it will not
53 be considered here because", it has been obliterated in my
54 copy, "some of its epidemiological features are distinct.
55 Treatment of breast and colon cancer remains
56 disappointing. Hence, considerable interest has focused
57 on determining the causes of these cancers, with the hope
58 that such knowledge will lead to practical means of
59 prevention.
60
