title: Retinoids and cancer.
abstract: The early and recent investigations in the field of retinoids and cancer are reviewed. The retinoids, including natural vitamin A compounds and their synthetic analogs, present a new class of substances exerting a prophylactic and a therapeutic effect both in certain experimental tumor models and in certain clinical conditions of preneoplastic and neoplastic lesions. Because of a particular physiological mechanism of action, the retinoids offer a new approach to the cancer problem, which is different from those of surgery, X-ray therapy, conventional chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002471:Cell Transformation, Neoplastic / Q000187:drug effects; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D009374:Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000188:drug therapy; D014212:Tretinoin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D014801:Vitamin A / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D014801:Vitamin A; D014212:Tretinoin