Topical Chemoprevention of Skin Cancers with Phytochemicals

Skin cancer is the most common malignancy. Its pathogenesis is a multi-step, cumulative process which allows for potential intervention along the length of its spectrum. Cancer chemoprevention is a very promising approach to obtaining this goal. Unfortunately, its widespread application in clinic has been hampered by several problems, including systemic side effects especially if the medication requires prolonged use. For this reason, possible alternative measures have been investigated and are of great interest. The application of phytochemicals and other natural compounds is an appealing approach in that they are generally nontoxic, less costly and widely available. Topical application (e.g., transdermal systems, painting) of chemopreventives also serves as an alternative to systemic administration, and may limit side effects without sacrificing clinical advantages. The purpose of this paper is to provide an extensive investigation of the literature regarding current chemopreventative practices. This paper focuses discussions on the topical application of phytochemicals, by representing recent studies and findings. Based on recognition amongst the literature, five compounds are represented which include resveratrol, green tea, perillyl alcohol, ginger and inositol hexaphosphate. More compounds are also named with brief introduction, and further study is discussed.