CANCER AND CHEMICAL CARCINOGENS

The article reviews the fundamental knowledge of a general character concerning cancer and chemical carcinogens, which might interest mainly chemists. In the first part tumour diseases as such are discussed as well as external noxas risk factors and cancer therapy. The second part deals with chemical carcinogens, their classification and effect. The chemical structures of carcinogens, their classification according to their action and the mechanism of carcinogenesis are discussed. An alphabetical list of compounds with carcinogenic potential is also presented. In the conclusion the author discusses the prospects of the struggle against cancer, and the role of chemists in it.