EVALUATION OF THE CHEMOPREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF BALANITE AEGYPTICAAND ZIZIPHUS SPINA-CHRISTY SUPPLEMENTON N-METHYL-N-NITROSOUREA INDUCED COLON CARCINOGENESIS IN MALE WISTAR RATS

EVALUATION OF THE CHEMOPREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF BALANITE AEGYPTICAAND ZIZIPHUS SPINA-CHRISTY SUPPLEMENTON N-METHYL-N-NITROSOUREA INDUCED COLON CARCINOGENESIS IN MALE WISTAR RATS

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 Introduction

Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. The causes of cancer can involve external factors such as tobacco smoking, alcohol consumption and exposure to radiation, also genetically inherited factors such as genetic mutations and immune deficiencies (WHO 20014).

Estimated numbers of survivors for the 10 most prevalent cancer sites among males and females in the United States as of 2014 are 6,876,600 males and 7,607,230 females (American Cancer Society, 2014). Also in 2016, the Center for Disease Control listed cancer as the second leading cause of death behind heart disease. The loss of cellular regulation such as the mechanisms governing the control of growth and proliferation of cells often gives rise to cancer.

The National Cancer Institute suggests that there are five main categories of cancer viz-a-viz; carcinoma, sarcoma, leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma, and cancer of the central nervous system. Carcinoma is cancer arising from skin and other epithelial cells and tissue that encase organs in our body and is the most common type of malignant tumor. In contrast to carcinomas, sarcomas arise from our connective tissue such as bone, muscle and fat. Blood cancers such as leukemia arise from blood and bone marrow cells and promote the abnormal proliferation of blood progenitor cells such as leukocytes, (Zieve and Chen, 2009). Lymphoma and myeloma are also cancers targeting the immune system and thus mainly target lymphocytes and white blood cells. Lastly, cancers of the central nervous system target the brain and spinal cord and are thought to be some of the deadliest forms of this disease.

The development of cancer is suggested that initiation, promotion, and progression are the three main phases of tumor formation as reported by (Kufe et al 2003).

EVALUATION OF THE CHEMOPREVENTIVE EFFECTS OF BALANITE AEGYPTICAAND ZIZIPHUS SPINA-CHRISTY SUPPLEMENTON N-METHYL-N-NITROSOUREA INDUCED COLON CARCINOGENESIS IN MALE WISTAR RATS