Cancer. A potentially preventable disease.

Current epidemiologic and carcinogenesis data are lending credence to the hypothesis that individual cancers have specific causes. Because of this, most cancers are at least potentially preventable. Primary prevention, with removal of specific etiological agents, is the best means of prevention, such as elimination of tobacco smoke. Short of knowing the specific etiology, new chemo-prevention techniques are now being studied evaluating hormonal agents, anti-inflammatory drugs, and the structural analogs of vitamin A.