Nutrients in Cancer Prevention and Treatment contains articles that were
presented by leading researchers and physicians in the field of
nutritional oncology. Most of the previous conference proceedings on
Nutrition and Cancer have dealt primarily with the issue of the role of
nutrients in cancer prevention. This is logical because enormous
quantities of laboratory and epi- demiologic data have been published on
the topic. Nutrients in Cancer Prevention and Treatment also contains
several studies on the role of diet and vitamins in cancer treat- ment.
There are very few books that have reviewed laboratory and clinical
studies and the role of vitamins in cancer treatment. There are
preliminary data suggesting that daily supplementa- tion with high doses
of certain vitamins in combination with conventional therapeutic agents
may enhance their growth inhibitory effects on tumor cells, and may
protect normal tissues against some of their toxic effects. This book is
unique in the sense that several articles have discussed the mechanisms
of action of individual vitamins on cellular and molecular parameters.
It is very exciting to note that some of the vitamins inhibit protein
kinase C activity, increase the production of certain growth factors,
and modulate the expression of a number of oncogenes. These studies, at
least in part, offer rationales for the cancer protective effects of
vitamins.