Abstract
Cancer is a condition where the body cells multiply in an uncontrollable manner. Chemoprevention of cancer is a broad term that describes the involvement of external agents to slow down or suppress cancer growth. Synthetic and natural compounds are found useful in cancer chemoprevention. The occurrence of global cancer type varies, depending on many factors such as environmental, lifestyle, genetic etc. Cancer is often preventable in developed countries with advanced treatment modalities, whereas it is a painful death sentence in developing and low-income countries due to the lack of modern therapies and awareness. One best practice to identify cancer control measures is to study the origin and risk factors associated with common types. Based on these factors and the health status of patients, stage, and severity of cancer, type of treatment is decided. Even though there are well-established therapies, cancer still stands as one of the major causes of death and a public health burden globally. Research shows that most cancers can be prevented, treated, or the incidence can be delayed. Phytochemicals from various medicinal plants were reported to reduce various risk factors associated with different types of cancer through their chemopreventive role. This review highlights the role of bioactive compounds or natural products from plants in the chemoprevention of cancer. There are many plant based dietary factors involved in the chemoprevention process. The review discusses the process of carcinogenesis and chemoprevention using plants and phytocompounds, with special reference to five major chemopreventive phytocompounds. The article also summarizes the important chemopreventive mechanisms and signaling molecules involved in the process. Since the role of antioxidants in chemoprevention is inevitable, an insight into plant-based antioxidant compounds that fight against this dreadful disease at various stages of carcinogenesis and disease progression is discussed. This will fill the research gap in search of chemopreventive natural compounds and encourage scientists in clinical trials of anticancer agents from plants.
Highlights
Cancer is a condition where cells anywhere in the body behave abnormally and multiply in an uncontrollable manner
This was attained by modulating several growth factor pathways such as epidermal growth factors including (EGF), insulin growth factor (IGF), mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPKs) and Akt signaling pathways [195]
Chemoprevention of cancer using plant-based compounds became a preferred approach in cancer management
Summary
Cancer is a condition where cells anywhere in the body behave abnormally and multiply in an uncontrollable manner. There are over 200 different types of cancer. Chemoprevention is an approach with great potential in controlling the incidence of cancer. Chemoprevention works in different ways to stop, delay, and control cancer incidence and progression [1]. The drawbacks of modern cancer treatments, disease severity, increased mortality rate, and loss of patient quality of life upon treatment show the need for a new and alternative herbal approach in disease control and prevention. Second type is mainly developed for treating premalignant tumors to prevent cancer progression (example: colon polyps, skin actinic keratosis, cervical dysplasia, lung metaplasia). Other dietary factors are importantly linked with the risk of developing various cancer types. Manson in 2003 reported that around 35% of global cancer mortality rates are directly associated with dietary factors [4]. This review discusses the concept of chemoprevention with reference to the plant-based chemopreventive agents, their mechanism of action, related signaling molecules, and the role of antioxidant compounds
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
