Dietary Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention and Treatment

The sixth annual research conference of the American Institute for Cancer Research was held August 31 and September 1, 1995, at the Loews L'Enfant Plaza Hotel in Washing­ ton, DC. In view of the promising leads in the diet/nutrition and cancer research field, the conference was devoted to "Dietary Phytochemicals in Cancer Prevention and Treatment. " The number of sessions was increased over that in previous conferences in order to accommodate the topics of interest. The conference overview, entitled "Plants and Cancer: Food, Fiber, and Phytochemicals," provided a framework for the following sessions. In addition, the attendees were reminded that for several decades epidemiologists have noted a lower risk of lung, esophageal, stomach, and colon cancer in populations consuming diets high in fruits and vegetables. However, isolation and ingestion of individual protective factors are not the preferred action since the complexity of the food and the matrix in which nutritional factors are embedded are important. The individual sessions then provided more insight as to why eating fruits and vegetables is associated with a lower risk of cancer. The first of these sessions was on "Isothiocyanates" that induce both the Phase I and Phase II enzymes that increase detoxification and conjugation reactions, thus causing more rapid removal of any xenobiotic or carcinogen. Thus, less carcinogen is available for interaction with DNA or other critical cellular macromolecules.

Chemoprevention of Lung Cancer by Isothiocyanates; S.S. Hecht Isothiocyanates as Inhibitors of Esophageal Cancer; G.K. Stoner, M.A. Morse Plant Phenolics as Potential Cancer Prevention Agents; H.L. Newmark Cancer Chemoprevention by Polyphenols in Green Tea and Artichoke; R. Agarwal, H. Mukhtar Effects of Tea on Carcinogenesis in Animal Models and Humans; C.S. Yang, et al.Estrogens, Phytoestrogens and Breast Cancer; R. Clarke, et al. Soy Isoflavonoids and Cancer Prevention: Underlying Biochemical and Pharmacological Issues; S. Barnes; et al. Quercetin as a Modulator of the Cellular Neoplastic Phenotype: Effects on the Expression of Mutated Hras and p53 in Rodent and Human Cells; M.A. Avila, et al. Effects of Monoterpenes and Mevinolin on Murine Colon Tumor CT26 in vitro and Its Hepatic 'Metastases' in vivo; S.A. Broitman; et al. Antitumorigenic Effects of Limonene and Perillyl Alcohol against Pancreatic and Breast Cancer; P.L. Crowell, et al. Monoterpenes as Regulators of Malignant Cell Proliferation; R.J. Hohl Organosulfur Compounds and Cancer; M.A. Lea Recent Results in the Organosulfur and Organoselenium Chemistry of Genus Allium and Brassica Plants: Relevance for Cancer Prevention; E. Block 7 additional articles. Index.