Update of preclinical and human studies of calcium and colon cancer prevention

Subject headings calcium/metabolism; colonic neoplasms/prevent ion and control; vitamin D Many articles on the subject of colon cancer begin by noting that the disease continues to be a major cause of tumor mortality in the United States and other countries. Despite attempts at reduction, the incidence of this disease is still high in Western populations and is increasing in some Eastern countries. Chemoprevention of this disease therefore continues to be an important public health objective. Among recent chemopreventive approaches, an increased intake of calcium and vitamin D continues to be evaluated in both preclinical and clinical studies. Many experimental findings, as described below, have indicated real