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S M Lippman

Publications and source records attributed to S M Lippman.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Nuclear retinoid acid receptor beta in bronchial epithelium of smokers before and during chemoprevention.

BACKGROUND: Retinoids can reverse neoplastic lesions and prevent second primary tumors in the aerodigestive tract. These effects are thought to be mediated by nuclear retinoic acid receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors (RXRs), each receptor group including three subtypes (alpha, beta, and gamma). Previously, we found that RARbeta expression was suppressed in lung cancer. In this study, we investigated whether expression of RARbeta is modulated by chemopreventive intervention. METHODS: Using in situ hybridization, we analyzed RARbeta messenger RNA (mRNA) expression in bronchial biopsy specimens from heavy smokers, at baseline and after 6 months of treatment with 13-cis-retinoic acid (13-cis-RA) or placebo. Since we had previously detected RARbeta expression in 90% of bronchial specimens from nonsmokers, we considered loss of RARbeta mRNA expression in at least one of six biopsy specimens at baseline in this study to be aberrant. RESULTS: RARbeta mRNA expression was aberrant in 30 (85.7%) of 35 subjects in the 13-cis-RA group and in 24 (72.7%) of 33 subjects in the placebo group. After 6 months of 13-cis-RA treatment, the number of subjects who were RARbeta positive in all six biopsy specimens increased from five of 35 to 13 of 35 (2.6-fold), so that the percentage of individuals with aberrant RARbeta expression decreased to 62.9% (22 of 35), which represents a statistically significant difference from baseline expression (two-sided P =.01). In the placebo group, no statistically significant difference in RARbeta expression was observed between baseline and 6 months. RARbeta expression was not related to current smoking status or reversal of squamous metaplasia. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that RARbeta is an independent marker of response to 13-cis-RA and may serve as an intermediate biomarker in chemoprevention trials of upper aerodigestive tract cancers.

Adult

Expression and up-regulation of retinoic acid receptor-beta is associated with retinoid sensitivity and colony formation in esophageal cancer cell lines.

Retinoids exhibit chemotherapeutic and chemopreventive activities, possibly due to their ability to modulate cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. These effects are thought to be mediated by nuclear retinoic acid (RA) receptors (RARs) and retinoid X receptors, each of which includes three subtypes (alpha, beta, and gamma) that act as transcription factors. To determine whether RARs play a role in mediating the effects of RA on human esophageal cancer (HEC) cells, we analyzed the effects of RA on: (a) the growth, differentiation, and apoptosis in seven HEC cell lines; (b) receptor expression; (c) receptor modulation by RA; and (d) expression of receptors in 20 surgical HEC specimens. RA inhibited the growth of five of seven cell lines and also the constitutive expression of the squamous differentiation markers cytokeratin 1 and transglutaminase I in all cell lines. The growth inhibition by RA was due to the induction of apoptosis in the five cell lines. All seven cell lines expressed RAR-alpha and RAR-gamma, and four cell lines showed some changes by RA, but not associated with apoptosis. In contrast, RAR-beta was expressed in five of seven cell lines and up-regulated by RA in these five cell lines, which were associated with apoptosis. Two cell lines that failed to express RAR-beta showed no growth inhibition or apoptosis and no RAR-beta inducibility. Interestingly, only these two cell lines were able to form colonies in soft agar. RAR-alpha, RAR-beta, and RAR-gamma mRNAs were expressed in all 20 adjacent normal esophageal tissues. The expression of RAR-alpha and RAR-gamma remains positive in HEC specimens, but RAR-beta expression was detected in only 6 of 20 HEC specimens. These data suggest that the expression of RAR-beta is associated with response of HEC cells to RA and that the loss of RAR-beta expression may be associated with HEC development.

Apoptosis

Mediation of N-(4-hydoxyphenyl)retinamide-induced apoptosis in human cancer cells by different mechanisms.

The induction of apoptosis by the synthetic retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide (4HPR) has been documented in vitro in various cancer types. A role for reactive oxygen species (ROS) in apoptosis induced by 4HPR in some cancer cells has been demonstrated recently. We studied five different human head and neck and five lung cancer cell lines to determine whether the ROS play a general role in 4HPR-induced apoptosis. We found that 4HPR induced apoptosis in all of the cell lines; however, this effect was blocked by antioxidants in only 2 of the 10 cell lines. 4HPR induced a greater than 4-fold increase in the generation of intracellular ROS in these two cell lines compared with a much lower effect in other cell lines. Furthermore, these two cell lines were most sensitive to the induction of apoptosis by 4HPR. The level of the cellular antioxidant thiol and superoxide dismutase activity were relatively lower in cells, which responded to 4HPR with a high level of ROS generation. These results indicate that although ROS can mediate 4HPR-induced apoptosis in some cells, which may have a low endogenous cellular antioxidant levels, other mechanisms exist for 4HPR-induced apoptosis. One such mechanism may involve retinoic acid receptors (RARs) because an RAR antagonist was able to block partially 4HPR-induced apoptosis. In conclusion, 4HPR-induced apoptosis involves at least three different mechanisms, which are complex and can overlap in the same cell line: (a) one mechanism involving 4HPR-induced ROS; (b) one involving RARs; and (c) at least one that does not involve ROS or RARs and remains unclear.

Antineoplastic Agents

Retinoid receptor-dependent and -independent effects of N-(4-hydroxyphenyl)retinamide in F9 embryonal carcinoma cells.

Fenretinide (N-[4-hydroxyphenyl]retinamide (4HPR)) is a retinoid analogue with antitumor and chemopreventive activities. The mechanism of action of 4HPR is not fully understood, but it is hypothesized that this compound acts independently of the nuclear retinoid receptor pathway. To test this hypothesis directly, we have analyzed the activity of 4HPR on a panel of F9 embryonal carcinoma cell lines, which includes wild-type and mutant lines that lack expression of retinoic acid receptor gamma, retinoid X receptor alpha, or both. 4HPR (10 microM) treatment resulted in a rapid induction of cell death in F9 cells, which was responsible for their near elimination by 48 h. This effect occurred in the receptor-null cell lines as well. Treatment of the wild-type cells for 4 days with 1 microM 4HPR also resulted in a primitive endodermal differentiated phenotype that is normally seen upon all-trans-retinoic acid treatment and is characterized by the up-regulation of laminin B1 and type IV collagen. This differentiation response did not occur in the receptor-null cells. Therefore, two distinct effects of 4HPR were identified in this system: a rapid induction of cell death and a slower induction of differentiation, which are likely to be receptor independent and dependent, respectively.

Animals

Paclitaxel-based chemotherapy for recurrent and/or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: current and future directions.

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a devastating tumor, with enormous repercussions both for the medical system and for the individual patient. Functional and cosmetic morbidity are inherent in head and neck cancer and its treatment, and the economic costs associated with the aggressive therapy needed to battle the disease are substantial. Even with aggressive standard local therapy (surgery and/or radiotherapy), the tumor recurs in approximately 60% of patients with primary disease and the prognosis for those whose disease recurs or metastasizes is poor. In light of these facts, trials of new therapy for recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC must focus on prolonging survival, improving quality of life, and increasing convenience. The introduction in the 1990s of newer agents such as ifosfamide and the taxanes (paclitaxel [Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ] and docetaxel) offers hope that these goals can be achieved. All are active against HNSCC and the taxanes, in particular, appear likely to be the most active single agents yet for treating recurrent and/or metastatic HNSCC. This report reviews experience with paclitaxel-based treatment regimens in HNSCC.

Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic

Phenotype and genotype of advanced premalignant head and neck lesions after chemopreventive therapy.

BACKGROUND: The goal of chemoprevention is to reduce the risk of cancer development by reversing or blocking the tumorigenic process through the use of pharmacologic or natural agents. To determine the potential role of genetic alterations in assessing cancer risk and in evaluating the efficacy of chemopreventive agents, we studied 22 patients with advanced premalignant lesions of the head and neck who were part of a prospective cancer prevention trial that is investigating a regimen of 13-cis-retinoic acid, interferon alfa, and alpha-tocopherol administered for 12 months or until disease progression. METHODS: We used polymerase chain reaction analysis of microsatellite DNA sequences in cells from precancerous lesions to determine the frequencies of genetic alterations--namely, loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and microsatellite instability--at chromosomal loci that are commonly deleted in head and neck cancer. RESULTS: Prior to treatment, 17 (81%) of 21, eight (44%) of 18, and eight (42%) of 19 patients who were informative (i.e., heterozygous) at chromosomes 9p21, 3p14, and 17p13, respectively, exhibited LOH in at least one of their lesion biopsy specimens. Among nine patients who exhibited LOH at chromosome 9p21 in pretreatment biopsy specimens and who had completed at least 5 months of therapy, the genetic loss persisted in eight--including three of the four patients who exhibited complete histologic responses (i.e., no evidence of dysplasia in their biopsy specimens). IMPLICATION: Our data suggest that clinical and histologic assessments of the response to chemopreventive agents may be insufficient to determine their efficacy and that critical genetic alterations could be used as independent biomarkers to augment the ability to evaluate the efficacy of such agents.

Antineoplastic Agents

13-cis-retinoic acid or all-trans-retinoic acid plus interferon-alpha in recurrent cervical cancer: a Southwest Oncology Group phase II randomized trial.

PURPOSE: Preclinical and clinical data support the study of retinoids and interferon-alpha (IFN-alpha) in advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the uterine cervix (SCC). This phase II randomized trial of the Southwest Oncology Group sought to estimate the response rate for IFN-alpha plus either 13-cis-retinoic acid (13cRA) or all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA) in women with recurrent cervical SCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Eligibility for this trial required bidimensionally measurable locally recurrent or metastatic squamous or adenosquamous carcinoma of the uterine cervix; SWOG performance status of </=2; no prior interferon, retinoids, or chemotherapy (except as radiation sensitization). All but two patients were previously treated with surgery, radiation therapy, or both. After randomization, patients received IFN-alpha-2A (subcutaneous injection; 3 x 10(6) units/m2/day) plus either 13cRA (1 mg/kg/day orally) or ATRA (150 mg/m2/day orally) in two equally divided doses. RESULTS: Total enrollment was 63 patients, 21 in the ATRA arm, 42 in the 13cRA arm. Three patients were ineligible, 1 in the ATRA arm, 2 in the 13cRA arm. Each arm had 1 patient who received no assigned treatment and was not evaluated for response or toxicity. The ATRA/IFN-alpha response rate was 5% (1/19; 95% confidence interval = 0.1-26%), consisting of 1 partial response lasting 4 weeks. The 13cRA/IFN-alpha response rate was 8% (3/39; 95% confidence interval = 2-21%), consisting of 3 partial responses lasting 17, 22, and 24 weeks, respectively. All confirmed responses were partial. One additional unconfirmed partial response occurred in the 13cRA arm. Both regimens were generally well-tolerated and produced toxicities (principally malaise and fatigue) associated with each constituent agent's known single-agent side effects. CONCLUSION: Based upon the results of this study, neither regimen can be recommended for further study in patients previously treated with radiation therapy.

Adult

The effect of 13-cis-retinoic acid chemoprevention on human serum retinol levels.

This study of the effect of 13-cis-retinoic acid on serum levels of retinol was a laboratory correlate of a clinical chemoprevention trial in asymptomatic chronic smokers. All study participants had squamous metaplasia of the bronchial epithelium and received 6 months' treatment of either 13-cis-retinoic acid (1 mg/kg/day) or placebo. Baseline serum retinol levels were compared with levels taken immediately post-treatment. The placebo group (N = 38) had little change, whereas the 13-cis-retinoic acid group, (N = 35) experienced a decline in retinol levels (p = 0.06). Within the 13-cis-retinoic acid group, women's (N = 13) mean serum retinol levels dropped significantly, from 531 +/- 191 ng/ml (baseline) to 436 +/- 115 ng/ml (post-treatment) (p = 0.03); men's (N = 22) levels virtually did not change (p = 0.43). Therefore, the borderline-significant overall decline in the 13-cis-retinoic acid group was due entirely to the decline among women subjects. The etiology of this effect is unknown. Our results suggest that chronic 13-cis-retinoic acid administration may lead to a clinically significant reduction in serum retinol levels in females. This finding may have implications for currently ongoing chemoprevention trials that administer 13-cis-retinoic acid for 3 years.

Adult

Retinoids in the chemoprevention of bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer is strongly related to tobacco use and is estimated to cause 54,500 new cancer cases and 11,700 deaths in the United States in 1998. Approximately two thirds of new US cases will be superficial tumors, predominantly low-grade papillary. After standard therapeutic resection (with or without intravesical therapy), the superficial bladder tumor recurrence rate is 30% to 70% within 12 months of resection. Morbidity is substantial, with frequent cystoscopy, recurrence, resections, and possible cystectomy for progression to invasive cancers. Therefore, new approaches, including chemoprevention, are needed. Data suggest that bladder carcinogenesis is a multi-step, multifocal (field effect) process, possibly involving the spread of premalignant clones--all of which are prerequisites for effective chemopreventive approaches. To date, retinoids are the best-studied chemopreventive agents in this site, achieving mixed clinical results (with 13-cis-retinoic acid and etretinate) in superficial bladder tumors. This review includes the epidemiology and biology of bladder carcinogenesis in addition to preclinical and clinical retinoid data, and focuses on the most promising avenue of current retinoid chemoprevention in the bladder: the potent apoptosis-inducing retinoid fenretinide (4-HPR), which currently is in three phase III trials.

Anticarcinogenic Agents

Phase I study of concomitant chemoradiotherapy with paclitaxel, fluorouracil, and hydroxyurea with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor support for patients with poor-prognosis cancer of the head and neck.

PURPOSE: We have previously demonstrated high locoregional control rates in patients with poor-prognosis head and neck cancer using fluorouracil (5-FU), hydroxyurea (HU), and concomitant radiotherapy (RT) (FHX). In the trial reported here, we added paclitaxel to the FHX base and used hyperfractionated RT to determine the maximum-tolerated dose (MTD), toxicities, and response rate in a poor-prognosis group of patients. METHODS: Fifty-five patients who had either failed to respond to prior RT (n = 25) or surgery, had a coexistent or prior second malignancy, or who had unresectable or metastatic disease and an expected 2-year survival rate less than 10%, were treated. Chemoradiotherapy consisted of 2 Gy on days 2 to 6 (once-daily RT cohorts) or 1.5 Gy twice a day (hyperfractionated cohorts). Simultaneous HU (500 or 1,000 mg twice per day for 11 doses) and infusional 5-FU (600-800 mg/m2/d for 5 days) were given along with infusional paclitaxel at escalating doses of 5 to 25 mg/m2/d for 5 days. Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) was administered on days 7 through 13 at 5 microg/kg/d. Cycles were repeated every 14 days until completion of RT. Plasma paclitaxel levels were determined on day 4 of cycle 1. RESULTS: Dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) consisted of myelosuppression, mucositis, dermatitis, and diarrhea. Plasma concentrations of paclitaxel greater than 10 nmol/L were achieved in 65% of patients at the recommended phase II dose (RPTD) level of paclitaxel. Seventy percent of assessable patients achieved a complete response (CR) to therapy. Twenty patients were treated at the RPTD of HU 500 mg orally twice daily for 11 doses, 5-FU 600 mg/m2/d by continuous infusion for 5 days; and paclitaxel 20 mg/m2/d by continuous infusion for 5 days, with twice-daily RT. CONCLUSION: The addition of infusional paclitaxel and hyperfractionated RT to FHX is feasible. Radiosensitizing levels of paclitaxel are achieved in most patients. The high locoregional control rate of this regimen justifies further investigation in previously untreated patients.

Adult

Phase II trial of paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin in patients with recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: To assess the activity and toxicity profile of combined taxol (paclitaxel), ifosfamide, and platinum (cisplatin) (TIP) in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the head and neck. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Recurrent or metastatic head and neck SCC patients received paclitaxel 175 mg/m2 in a 3-hour infusion on day 1; ifosfamide 1,000 mg/m2 in a 2-hour infusion on days 1 through 3; mesna 600 mg/m2 on days 1 through 3; and cisplatin 60 mg/m2 on day 1, repeated every 3 to 4 weeks. All were premedicated with dexamethasone, diphenhydramine, and cimetidine. Prophylactic hematopoietic growth factors were not permitted. RESULTS: Fifty-two patients were assessable for response and toxicity; 53 for survival (local-regional recurrence alone in 57% and distant metastasis with or without local-regional recurrence in 43%). Overall response rate was 58% (30 of 52) of patients; complete response rate was 17% (nine of 52) of patients, with six complete responses that continued for a median 15.7+ months. Median follow-up of all patients was 17.7 months. Median survival was 8.8 months (95% confidence interval [CI] 8.1 to 17.5 months). Toxicity was relatively well tolerated and caused no deaths. The most frequent moderate-to-severe toxicity (90% of patients) was transient grades 3 to 4 neutropenia; neutropenic fever occurred in 27%. Grade 3 peripheral neuropathy occurred in three patients, none had grade 4. Grade 3 mucositis occurred in only one patient, none had grade 4. CONCLUSION: TIP had major activity in this setting, with a 58% objective response rate, 17% complete response rate, durable complete responses (six of nine persisting), and relatively well-tolerated toxicity, with no toxic deaths. The activity of TIP, a novel taxol-cisplatin-based regimen, in recurrent or metastatic head and neck SCC should be confirmed in a phase III trial.

Adult

Adenovirus-mediated p53 gene transfer in patients with advanced recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

PURPOSE: Standard therapies of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) often cause profound morbidity and have not significantly improved survival over the last 30 years. Preclinical studies showed that adenoviral vector delivery of the wild-type p53 gene reduced tumor growth in mouse xenograft models. Our purpose was to ascertain the safety and therapeutic potential of adenoviral (Ad)-p53 in advanced HNSCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Patients with incurable recurrent local or regionally metastatic HNSCC received multiple intratumoral injections of Ad-p53, either with or without tumor resection. Patients were monitored for adverse events and antiadenoviral antibodies, tumors were monitored for response and p53 expression, and body fluids were analyzed for Ad-p53. RESULTS: Tumors of 33 patients were injected with doses of up to 1 x 10(11) plaque-forming units (pfu). No dose-limiting toxicity or serious adverse events were noted. p53 expression was detected in tumor biopsies despite antibody responses after Ad-p53 injections. Clinical efficacy could be evaluated in 17 patients with nonresectable tumors: two patients showed objective tumor regressions of greater than 50%, six patients showed stable disease for up to 3.5 months, and nine patients showed progressive disease. One resectable patient was considered a complete pathologic response. Ad-p53 was detected in blood and urine in a dose-dependent fashion, and in sputum. CONCLUSION: Patients were safely injected intratumorally with Ad-p53. Objective antitumor activity was detected in several patients. The infectious Ad-p53 in body fluids was asymptomatic, and suggests that systemic or regional treatment may be tolerable. These results suggest the further investigation of Ad-p53 as a therapeutic agent for patients with HNSCC.

Adenoviridae

Role of paclitaxel, ifosfamide, and cisplatin in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

This phase I/II study investigated the efficacy and toxic effects of combination chemotherapy using paclitaxel (Taxol; Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Princeton, NJ), ifosfamide, and cisplatin (TIP) in patients with recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Twelve patients were entered in the phase I part of the study, results of which were reported previously. Fifty-three patients were treated in the phase II part of the study with 175 mg/m2 paclitaxel in a 3-hour infusion on day 1; 1,000 mg/m2/d ifosfamide in a 2-hour infusion on days 1 to 3; and 60 mg/m2 cisplatin on day 1, repeated every 3 to 4 weeks. Thirty-five men and 18 women were treated; the median age was 55 years (range, 27 to 73 years). Sites of disease and types of previous therapy varied among the patients. Among those with recurrent disease, 30 had locoregional disease, four had locoregional disease with distant metastasis, and 17 had distant metastasis only. Two patients had distant metastatic disease (MI) at the time of diagnosis. Of the 53 patients entered, 52 were assessable for disease response and toxic effects. Complete response was achieved in nine (17%) of 52 patients and partial response in 21 (40%); five (10%) patients had stable disease and 17 (33%) had progressive disease. When response rate was analyzed by disease sites, patients with locoregional sites showed a 43% major response (complete and partial) rate, and those with distant metastatic sites demonstrated an 80% major response rate (P=.04). The median duration of disease response in all patients was 4.9 months at completion of the study. Among the nine patients with complete response, three had progressive disease and the median duration of response was 6.9 months (range, 4.9 to 17 months); six were still in remission at the time of this writing, with a median duration of response of 12.8 months (range, 6.3 to 18.8+ months). The median survival time was 8.8 months, and the 1- and 2-year survival rates were 40% and 21.9%, respectively. The median follow-up time of the study was 11.8 months. The major toxic effects included neutropenia, cumulative peripheral neuropathy, and fatigue. Mucositis was rare; grade 3 mucositis developed in only one patient. Other side effects included neutropenic fever in 14 patients, all of whom completely recovered after antibiotic treatment. Grade 3 orthostatic hypotension and grade 3 peripheral neuropathy developed in one patient; supportive care led to gradual recovery. No deaths were caused by toxic effects. In conclusion, these preliminary results indicate that the TIP chemotherapy regimen produced high rates of major responses in patients with recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, and responses were durable. The median, 1-year, and 2-year survival times were particularly promising. The TIP regimen should be pursued further as an induction regimen for locally advanced head and neck cancer.

Adult

Expression of heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2/B1 in bronchial epithelium of chronic smokers.

The monoclonal antibody 703D4, which binds heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A2/B1 (hnRNP A2/B1), has been reported to detect lung cancer more than a year earlier than routine chest X-ray or cytomorphology. To explore the biological basis of this detection, we studied the expression of this antigen in the central airways of smokers with evidence of bronchial metaplasia using specimens from a previously reported, randomized retinoid chemoprevention trial. By analyzing 1078 available biopsy specimens from 147 individuals at baseline and 68 individuals who completed the intervention, we frequently detected overexpression of hnRNP A2/B1 in normal and abnormal bronchial epithelium (i.e., in 41% of normal and 37% of squamous metaplasia samples). There was no correlation between hnRNP A2/B1 overexpression and the different histological changes. In cases with hnRNP A2/B1 overexpression, immunoreactivity was homogeneously expressed in all biopsied sites. For the 68 cases with serial biopsies, there was no significant modulation of hnRNP expression by retinoid intervention or smoking status. With lung cancer cell lines, 0.5-4 microM concentrations of 13-cis-retinoic acid reduced hnRNP A2/B1 overexpression by immunocytochemistry. We conclude that hnRNP A2/B1 overexpression is frequently found in central airways of chronic smokers, consistent with the pattern of expression that we reported previously in airways surrounding resected primary lung cancers. Oral 13-cis-retinoic acid at a dose of 1 mg/kg has no demonstrable effects on modulating hnRNP A2/B1 expression in proximal bronchial epithelium.

Biomarkers, Tumor

Cancer chemoprevention. Part 1: Retinoids and carotenoids and other classic antioxidants.

Cancer chemoprevention is the use of specific natural or synthetic substances with the objective of reversing, suppressing, or preventing carcinogenic progression to invasive cancer. Currently, numerous chemopreventive agents are in various stages of development and testing. Part 1 of this two-part series provides an overview of issues unique to chemoprevention trials, including the use of surrogate biomarkers as end points. This is followed by a discussion of the retinoids, such as all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA [Vesanoid]), 9-cis-retinoic acid (9cRA), and isotretinoin (Accutane), and the carotenoids (e.g., beta-carotene and lycopene) and other "classic" antioxidants (e.g., vitamins E and C and selenium). Research on these agents will be delineated by disease site when applicable. Part 2, which will appear in next month's issue, will focus on hormonally mediated chemopreventive agents, such as tamoxifen (Nolvadex), finasteride (Proscar), oral contraceptives, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Part 2 also will cover nonantioxidant natural agents, such as calcium, the polyphenols, the isothiocyanates, and genistein; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as celecoxib, sulindac sulfone, and aspirin; difluromethylornithine (DFMO [Eflornithine]); oltipraz; and N-acetylcysteine.

Antineoplastic Agents

Cancer chemoprevention. Part 2: Hormones, nonclassic antioxidant natural agents, NSAIDs, and other agents.

This two-part series provides an up-to-date summary of the various chemopreventive agents currently in development and testing. Part 1, published in last month's issue, focused on the retinoids, such as all-trans-retinoic acid (ATRA [Vesanoid]), 9-cis-retinoic acid (9cRA), and isotretinoin (Accutane), and the carotenoids, such as beta-carotene and lycopene, and other "classic" antioxidants, such as vitamins E and C and selenium. This second part centers on hormonally mediated chemopreventives, such as tamoxifen (Nolvadex), finasteride (Proscar), oral contraceptives, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). A number of these agents have site-specific mechanisms of action and will be discussed as such. Also discussed in part 2 are various nonclassic antioxidant natural agents, including calcium, the polyphenols, the isothiocyanates, and genistein; nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS), such as aspirin and sulindac; difluoromethylornithine (DFMO [Eflornithine]); oltipraz; and N-acetylcysteine.

Animals