A New Approach to Cancer Risk Assessment: An Overview

Cancer Risk Assessment methods that are reliable for identifying agro-chemicals and other potential carcinogens will become increasingly important in the context of climate-change which favours the propagation of certain insects, moulds, and invasive plant species. Classically, experimental carcinogenesis is a complex, multi-stage process including initiation, promotion, and malignant progression in which the failure of DNA repair mechanisms and the subsequent clonal expansion of damaged cells play a pivotal role. However, more recently, it has become apparent that the pathogenesis of cancer is closely connected with aberrantly regulated apoptotic cell death and the resulting deregulation of cell proliferation. This book explores a new approach to cancer risk assessment and carcinogenic potential for a variety of carcinogens (mycotoxins, agricultural pesticides, UV radiation, ¿-radiation, and heavy metals) based on our evolving understanding of the genetic and possibly epigenetic basis of these apoptotic mechanisms underlying carcinogenesis.