title: [The role of cytochrome P-450 in chemical carcinogenesis--its application to human cancer epidemiology].
abstract: Most chemical carcinogens require metabolic activation before they exert their deleterious effects on an organism. This overview shows the evidence that most chemical carcinogens are metabolically activated by specific P-450 isozymes and the induction of these enzymes plays an important role in chemical carcinogenesis. On the other hand, there is circumstantial evidence from a large number of animal experiments implicating that human susceptibility to environmental cancer may be affected by genetic predisposition for drug metabolism. On the basis of these findings, several problems in application to human cancer epidemiology were pointed out.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001189:Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases / Q000378:metabolism; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology; D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008114:Liver Neoplasms, Experimental / Q000201:enzymology; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology; D051379:Mice; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000201:enzymology / Q000209:etiology*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D003577:Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme System; D001189:Aryl Hydrocarbon Hydroxylases