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Chemoprevention |
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Chemoprevention is the use of natural or synthetic substances to reduce the risk of developing cancer, or to reduce the chance that cancer will recur.
Chemoprevention should not be confused with chemotherapy. Chemoprevention involves giving nontoxic agents to otherwise healthy individuals who may be at greater risk of developing cancer, while chemotherapy's aim is to kill cells through radiation in order to prevent the spread of cancer cells.
The Beginning
The 1980's marked the beginning of chemoprevention research with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at the forefront. Currently, there are about 400 compounds being studied as potential chemopreventive agents. Chemopreventive agents act in a couple of way: they can prevent genetic mutations that lead to cancer, and they can prevent processes that lead to excessive duplication of damaged cells.
Clinical Trials
Chemoprevention trials aim to discover ways to prevent cancer with interventions that include diet, vitamins, drugs, hormone therapy or other agents.
We, at the University of Virginia are committed to chemoprevention research. Please click on the "Clinical Trials" link to identify our current chemoprevention trials.