From carcinogenesis to clinical interventions for cancer prevention

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Preventive Medicine
• Molecular Biology

Background:

• Significant progress in understanding cancer causes, including environmental factors like diet, over the past three decades.
• Identification and evaluation of potential cancer inhibitors (chemopreventive agents) that interfere with carcinogenesis.
• Extensive preclinical and clinical trials (Phase I-III) are underway for various cancer types.

Purpose of the Study:

• To summarize the progress in cancer prevention research.
• To highlight the importance of chemopreventive agents.
• To emphasize the need for intermediate biomarkers in clinical trials.

Main Methods:

• Review of scientific literature on cancer causes and prevention.
• Analysis of preclinical and clinical trial data for chemopreventive agents.
• Discussion of the role of environmental factors and molecular mechanisms.

Main Results:

• Identification of key environmental factors contributing to cancer.
• Discovery of numerous safe and effective chemopreventive agents in preclinical studies.
• Ongoing clinical trials for a wide range of cancers.

Conclusions:

• The scientific community has made substantial progress in cancer prevention knowledge.
• Chemopreventive agents show promise but require further clinical validation.
• Development of valid intermediate biomarkers is crucial for accelerating cancer prevention clinical trials.