CHEMOPREVENTION OF LUNG CANCER: The Rise and Demise of Beta-Carotene
- 1 May 1998
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Annual Reviews in Annual Review of Public Health
- Vol. 19 (1), 73-99
- https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.publhealth.19.1.73
Abstract
Beta-carotene and retinoids were the most promising agents against common cancers when the National Cancer Institute mounted a substantial program of population-based trials in the early 1980s. Both major lung cancer chemoprevention trials not only showed no benefit, but had significant increases in lung cancer incidence and in cardiovascular and total mortality. A new generation of laboratory research has been stimulated. Rational public health recommendations at this time include: 1. Five-A-Day servings of fruits and vegetables, a doubling of current mean intake; 2. systematic investigation of the covariates of extremes of fruit and vegetable intake; 3. discouragement of beta-carotene supplement use, due to adverse effects in smokers and no evidence of benefit in non-smokers; 4. multilevel research to develop and evaluate candidate chemoprevention agents to prevent lung and other common cancers; and 5. continued priority for smoking prevention, smoking cessation, and avoidance of known carcinogens in the environment.Keywords
This publication has 92 references indexed in Scilit:
- Effects of a Combination of Beta Carotene and Vitamin A on Lung Cancer and Cardiovascular DiseaseNew England Journal of Medicine, 1996
- Reactive oxygen species as cellular messengersChemistry & Biology, 1995
- Differential effects of dietary β-carotene on papilloma and carcinoma formation induced by an initiation-promotion protocol in SENCAR mouse skinCarcinogenesis: Integrative Cancer Research, 1993
- Carotenoids and cancer: An update with emphasis on human intervention studiesEuropean Journal Of Cancer, 1993
- Beta-carotene induces morphological differentiation and decreases adenylate cyclase activity in melanoma cells in culture.Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 1990
- Final Report on the Aspirin Component of the Ongoing Physicians' Health StudyNew England Journal of Medicine, 1989
- Inhibition of arachidonic acid oxidation by β-carotene, retinol and α-tocopherolBiochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Lipids and Lipid Metabolism, 1987
- Cost-effectiveness of short-term tests for carcinogenicityNature, 1986
- Free-Radical Chemistry of Cigarette Smoke and Its Toxicological ImplicationsEnvironmental Health Perspectives, 1985
- Diet and Cancer – An OverviewNew England Journal of Medicine, 1984