ABSTRACT
For more than two decades, there has been a concerted effort made to identify and evaluate chemical compounds, termed chemopreventive agents, that could prevent, inhibit, or change the course of carcinogenesis. These studies were based on observations and beliefs that certain foods or additives (e.g. green tea or garlic) had beneficial anticarcinogenic properties. In addition, there were both astute epidemiological correlations made that pointed to the anticancer chemopreventive properties of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, and clinical observations connecting the use of other NSAIDs to the regression of polyps in familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) patients.
