4.2 4.2 Chemoprevention Chemoprevention is the use of natural or synthetic substances to reduce the risk of developing cancer.
Some chemopreventive agents are drugs.
Many are substances that can be isolated from foods or that resemble compounds found in foods. However, chemo-prevention should not be confused with the prevention of cancer through dietary changes such as reducing fat intake and increasing fiber. Scientists believe that chemopreventive substances work by halting or reversing the process by which a cell becomes cancerous. Cell changes that lead to cancer most likely occur in a series of steps over the course of many years. These changes seem to require the interaction of a number of cancer-promoting factors, both hereditary and environmental.