Retinoic Acid Used In Cancer...( growth instead to arrest growth. ...)

"Retinoic acid can reverse the defect in growth control that was caused by the viral agent and result in cell-growth arrest," Yen says, describing his experiments with cell cultures. "Now we need a deeper understanding of how retinoic acid causes these changes -- and exactly which molecules are affected by retinoic acid. In my dreams there is a single effector, but it's more likely there are several."

Ongoing studies in the Yen laboratory, supported in part by the National Cancer Institute and the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Program in Human Nutrition, aim to explain exactly how retinoic acid works on oncogenes and whether other, related compounds would be more effective in chemotherapy. As a result, oncologists might be able to fine-tune the chemotherapy cocktails given not only to leukemia patients but also to patients with other types of cancer, Yen suggests.

"In the meantime," he says, "I think we're adding evidence that an adequate supply of carotene in the diet is obviously beneficial for anyone who wishes to stay healthy and avoid cancer."