Research funded by the National Cancer Institute has resulted in a new type of drug in the war against cancer; these are the . Chemopreventive agents are drugs hoped to help prevent or reduce an individual’s chances of ever developing .

Chemoprevention is the use of natural or synthetic substances to lower the risk of developing cancer.

National trials on chemopreventive agents are being conducted by researchers from the Division of Cancer Medicine at M. D. Anderson. These drugs consist of calcium compounds, retinoids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

The current focus is on developing chemopreventive chemicals that work toward the prevention of specific, but common cancers with very minimal side effects.