ABSTRACT

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465

Cancer chemoprevention is defined as prevention of cancer by the administration of one or more chemical entities, either as individual drugs or as dietary supplements [1]. If one includes the common forms of skin cancer (i.e., basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas), then nearly 1% of the U.S. population will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in the year 2002 [2]. The 5-year survival rate of cancer patients has approximately improved from 51 to 62% overall in the last 10 years or so; yet over half a million American citizens are expected to die of cancer in 2002 [2,3]. Despite

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considerable advances in terms of earlier detection and the eventual promise of improved therapeutics, the outlook for many solid tumors remains dismal. Several organ sites continue to yield exceptionally low 5-year survival rates, such as lung and bronchus (15% overall 5-year survival), liver (6% overall 5-year survival), stomach (22% overall 5-year survival), esophagus (14% overall 5-year survival), and pancreas (4% overall 5-year survival) [2]. Thus, the aggressive prevention of cancer remains a cornerstone of basic public health policy.