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Chemoprevention
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Chemoprevention is the use of
pharmacologic or natural agents to inhibit the development of cancer. A
primary mode of chemoprevention action includes reversing the progression of
premalignant cells by stimulation of the cells to repair DNA or other cell
damage that initiates carcinogenesis. Numerous studies have found that
chemoprevention methods can prevent or improve the outcome of a wide variety
of cancers. This approach is especially useful in targeting persons who are
at high risk for developing cancer, such as patients who have a genetic
predisposition to cancer, or patients who are at high risk of developing
secondary primary tumors after surgical removal of a tumor. The targets for
pharmacologic intervention are the various stages of preneoplastic
development including hyperplasia and dysplasia. There are two major classes of
cancer chemopreventive agents: blocking agents and suppressing agents.
Blocking agents prevent metabolic activation of carcinogens to reduce the
likelihood of DNA damage. Suppressing agents block expansion of
carcinogen-initiated cells by suppressing cell replication or by causing
apoptosis of precancerous or cancerous cells. Promising work also has been
completed on reversing abnormal differentiation with hormone-like agents and
various other chemopreventive agents that are largely noncytotoxic. Our research group was
established in 2002 in Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Washington
University in St Louis. Our interest is in the area of chemoprevention based
on genetics of lung cancer, including three major areas: 1) lung cancer
chemoprevention studies in rodent models with the goals of identifying new
effective agents and elucidation of their mechanisms of action; 2)
identification of human and mouse lung cancer susceptibility gene(s); and 3)
functional analysis of lung cancer genes using transgenic mice. |
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