Chemoprevention of colorectal cancer.

This review summarizes the principles of cancer chemoprevention and discusses the evidence from epidemiologic and experimental studies and preclinical and clinical trials of potential colorectal chemopreventive agents. The putative mechanisms of action of the drugs in chemoprevention and their potential to reduce the incidence and mortality rate of colorectal neoplasms are discussed. The future of colorectal chemoprevention will depend on important new insights into molecular carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer, application of molecular markers as surrogate endpoints, and ultimately on therapeutic targets of prevention in clinical trials.