9.16 – Carcinogenicity☆

Cancer, a leading cause of death worldwide, is a complex disease involving multiple events including mutation, proliferation, and aberrant cell growth. While specific genetic mutations account for only a small percentage of human cancers, estimates have predicted that environmental, dietary, and behavioral factors are linked to as much as 90% of all cancers. The past decades of cancer research have largely been devoted to understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the transformation of a normal cell into a malignant cell. While these efforts have advanced our knowledge of cancer etiology, development, and treatment, much remains unanswered. This article provides fundamental information of the carcinogenesis process. The topics covered include an introduction to multistage carcinogenesis and an overview of genotoxic and nongenotoxic carcinogen action. In addition, this article also discusses many of the test systems available to assess the carcinogenic potential of chemical agents. Finally, current and emerging approaches for assessing human risk to carcinogen exposure are discussed.