Preface

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in America. It is estimated that 42% of Americans living today may develop cancer in their lifetime. In 1971, President Nixon declared the new, aggressive "War on Cancer." In spite of these efforts, cancer death rates continue to climb. Unfortunately, this is in part due to the fact that chemotherapy and radiation have not provided the cure for cancer that was once promised. Furthermore, changes in lifestyle and dietary habits occurred, as we become a more industrialized civilization. The convenience of readily available high fat processed foods has resulted in individuals not always acquiring all the dietary components needed for proper wellbeing.

Various estimates suggest that between 30-40% of all human cancers are related to dietary patterns. Strong epidemiological evidence from population and twin studies point to dietary constituents that either contribute or protect against the development of various forms of cancer. Nutrition is a low cost, non-toxic therapy that can help to prevent or significantly delay the onset of certain cancers. Dietary constituents or supplements may also interact either in a positive or negative fashion with therapeutics agents used to treat patients with cancer.

The scientific community and the public are becoming increasingly aware of the cancer-preventive potential of a diet low in saturated fat/processed foods and high in whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Research on nutrition and effects upon cancer progression and development has become a leading topic among cancer researchers. This book is a timely collection of chapters based on research conducted by leading experts in the field of nutrition and cancer.

Research in nutrition and cancer prevention has significantly advanced our understanding of the mechanistic actions of various food components in cancer prevention. What we eat on a daily basis has a very powerful effect on our health and quality of life. By avoiding factors that increase the risk of certain cancer and including foods that protect us against this disease, we can, to a certain extent, control our own risk. Dietary components affect multiple cellular pathways and moderately inhibit or stimulate enzymes in these pathways. These actions may account for the nontoxic effects of phytochemicals and the relative lack of resistance that cancers develop to these compounds. New research suggests that multiple components of food substances have greater biologic activity than any one isolated component. This finding supports the pleiotropic action of diet and provides a potential explanation for why cancer cells do not quickly develop resistance.

This book reviews some traditional and relatively new areas of nutrition and cancer. Each chapter is written from an interdisciplinary viewpoint that combines epidemiological data with molecular biology research and where available clinical trial data. This book targets not only cancer researchers and clinicians, but also those who are interested in understanding how nutritional habits can impact our quality of life.