Chemical carcinogens

Abstract

This chapter is part of the Handbook of Cancer and Immunology, composed of various volumes addressing several aspects of different cancers, like cancer biology, immunology, interaction with microenvironment, diagnosis, and treatment. This work aimed to provide the readers with an overview of chemical carcinogens, reviewing origin of these chemical agents, their classification, and metabolization, beyond the process of carcinogenesis and the role of these compounds on it. Chemical carcinogens may be classified as genotoxic or non-genotoxic considering its interaction or not with cells’ DNA. Approximately 25% of all chemical carcinogens are considered direct compounds, interacting with DNA without previous metabolization. Chemical carcinogens have been used for many years to induce cancer development in target organs in several experimental assays, and their effectiveness depends on the species, dose, route and duration of exposure, and the animals’ age at the administration. An illustration of the process of carcinogenesis and its interaction with the chemical compounds was provided, as well as a list of chemical compounds carcinogenic and probably carcinogenic to humans. This chapter was written by two researchers with a settled experience in the field of oncology, mainly on the development of animal models of cancer chemically induced.