Cancer and genetic toxicology

Cancer is an unwelcome, potentially life-threatening diagnosis that one-third of us will experience. The oldest descriptions of cancer date back to Egypt around 1600 BC. The so-called Edwin Smith Papyrus describes eight cases of what appears to be breast cancer. The tumors of the breast were treated by cauterization, with a tool called the fire drill . Clearly there was a desire and need to treat this dreaded disease, but the conclusion was There is no treatment . It is only in the last 100 years that we have developed more sophisticated tools to treat cancer. 

Toxicology informs us about cancer on two accounts. First, toxicology research provided insight into the causes of cancer and likelihood of developing cancer. Second, many of the treatments for cancer have serious toxicological side effects. Cancer treatment must often balance the need to kill the cancerous cells while limiting the damage to the normal cells of the body. 

The industrial revolution of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century brought clear confirmation that occupational exposure to chemicals could cause cancer. The first indication came from increases in skin and bladder cancers associated with cutting oils and dyes. In 1895 bladder cancer was associated with workers in the aniline dye industry. Further worker-based studies found that exposure to 

1914 Experimental induction of skin cancers (rabbit) Coal Tar 

Our cells and bodies have evolved to fight off cancer. Specific DNA repair mechanisms work to correct damaged DNA. Our immune system works to isolate and kill rogue cancer cells. Cancer appears to be part of life, an aspect of the aging process, even bad luck. Clearly, however, we have learned that reducing our exposure to certain chemical and physical agents can decrease the likelihood of developing cancer or at least delay its onset. 

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W. N. Choy, Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Risk Assessment, Marcel Dekker, New York,... 

D. Y. Lai and L.-T. Woo, Structure-activity relationships (SAR) and its roles in cancer risk assessment, in Genetic Toxicology and Cancer Risk Assessment, ed. W. N. Choy, Marcel Dekker, New York, 2001, pp. 73-91. 

CONSENSUS REPORTS lARC Cancer Review Group 2B, Human Inadequate Evidence IMEMDT 58,239,93. EPA Extremely Hazardous Substances List. Reported in EPA TSCA Inventory. EPA Genetic Toxicology Program. Mercury and its compounds are on the Community Right-To-Know List. 

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