ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates state-of-the-art research findings on nutrient and non-nutrient effects on cancer. Research linking diet, nutrition, and cancer has spanned a half century and has been especially active in recent years. In a landmark study, Doll and Peto reported epidemiological data that related dietary factors to an average estimate of 35% of all cancer deaths. Their report has stimulated a large volume of contemporary research aimed at clarifying the link between diet and cancer. Epidemiological studies provide the basis for many hypotheses associating dietary constituents with cancer risk. Eventually, clinical trials are undertaken to establish any preventive, or adjunct therapeutic roles, dietary constituents might have for human cancers. Recent work suggests a possible use of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and retinoic acid in the adjuvant therapy of retinoblastoma, a childhood tumor. The binding of retinoic acid and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 to their receptors sets off a cascade of events.
