Chemoprevention of Cancer: Past, Present, and Future

We present a brief review of the history of chemoprevention of cancer, the present status of this field, and its prospects for the future. Topics covered are the scientific basis for chemoprevention of cancer, drugs in current use for chemoprevention of cancer, the need for new synthetic drugs, and the challenges ahead. The special relevance of chemoprevention of pancreatic cancer is emphasized, and the importance of the use of combinations of drugs for effective prevention is also stressed.