Chemical-induced DNA damage and human cancer risk

Chemical carcinogenesis involves a complex series of events, the earliest of which typically include DNA damage and the fixation of DNA mutations. Sophisticated new techniques have been developed to quantify DNA damage and to correlate the amount of damage with cancer risk. Approaches such as these are underway in Linxian, China, where food contains high levels of DNA-damaging, carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and where there is high mortality from oesophageal cancer. Gaining better insight into the mechanisms by which PAH exposure might increase oesophageal cancer risk could lead to new strategies for cancer prevention.