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Introduction: Chemotherapy in an integral part of cancer treatment, either administered alone or in combination with radiation. However, the cost of these drugs is often prohibitively high for most patients. To address this issue, the Government of India has established Jan Aushadhi (JAS) stores across the country, where affordable generic medicines are available. In the current study, we performed a cost minimization analysis comparing JAS drugs with branded chemotherapeutic drugs used in various cancer treatment regimens., Objectives: This study was to conduct a cost-minimization analysis by comparing the costs of different regimens when using JAS drugs, the most expensive branded drugs, and the least expensive branded drugs in the treatment of cancer in India., Materials and Methods: The study focused on conducting a cost minimization analysis of various chemotherapy drugs used in the treatment of different cancers, considering the availability of anticancer drugs at JAS stores. The costs for different chemotherapy regimens, including both anticancer and supportive drugs, were calculated for single and complete cycles. The costs of the most expensive and least expensive branded drugs were noted from the Current Index of Medical Stores. The cost difference (CD) was calculated by subtracting the cost of the cheaper drug from that of the costliest brand. The cost ratio (CR) and the percentage of cost variation (PCV) were calculated for India-specific conditions., Results: The study analyzed the CD for various regimens using JAS drugs for chemotherapy treatment of breast, esophagus, rectal, colon, stomach, prostate, ovary, endometrial, cervical, head and neck, lung, multiple myeloma, testicular, and lymphoma cancers. It also considered chemoirradiation regimens for brain, head and neck, anorectal, esophageal, and uterine cervical cancers. Significant CDs were observed when both anticancer and supportive drugs were obtained from JAS stores., Conclusion: To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to consider the CD, CR, and PCV for various regimens using JAS drugs, as well as the costliest and cheapest branded drugs in standard cancer treatment regimens. The results of this study are expected to assist healthcare professionals and pharmacists in understanding the cost-saving benefits of substituting expensive branded drugs with more affordable chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of cancer. This substitution can provide financial benefit for socioeconomically marginalized population., (Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics.)

Cancer education raises disease awareness, the value of early identification and importantly the need for prompt screening and treatment when diagnosed. In this study, an effort was made to understand how well a unique cancer education program, "Cancer Education on Wheels," transfers knowledge in general public in society. The community was shown prerecorded cancer awareness videos using a TV monitor, CD player, and speaker system mounted on an eight-seat Toyota Innova. Before and after seeing the video presentation, consenting volunteers filled out questionnaires asking about demographics and understanding of cancer. Frequency and percentage calculations were done on the demographic information and a Wilcoxon signed-rank test was run on the overall subject score. Data was stratified based on demographic information and compared by applying Kruskal-Wallis test and Mann-Whitney test. p values under 0.05 were regarded as significant. A total of 584 people completed the pre-test and post-test questionnaires. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test revealed a difference between the pre-test and post-test (3.29 ± 2.48 vs. 6.78 ± 3.52; P = 0.0001). The pre-test results showed that volunteers between the ages of 18 and 30; men; students; urban residents; single volunteers; graduates; people who had known a person/or family member with cancer; and people who were aware of the suffering cancer causes had a high baseline knowledge of cancer (p = 0.015 to 0.001). The post-test results show that participants who had less baseline scores like housewives and unemployed people performed better (p = 0.006 to 0.0001). The findings unambiguously demonstrated that "Cancer Education on Wheels" was successful in raising participants' awareness of cancer signs and screening. Additionally, the findings showed that volunteers who were aged, married, housewives, and unemployed had higher scores. Most importantly, this approach to cancer education is simple to organize and carry out in a local setting. It is also affordable and simple to execute using readily available technological equipment and manageable logistics. According to the authors' knowledge, this is the first study to use "Cancer Education on Wheels" to spread awareness of cancer throughout the neighborhood especially in budget constrained areas., (© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to American Association for Cancer Education.)

Aim: Globally, walkathon, a type of community event involving walking a determined distance to raise awareness and/or collect donations for a social cause is gaining a lot of public attention. This study was conducted to understand the usefulness of walkathon in creating cancer awareness among the participants., Materials and Methods: This was a pre- and post-test study and was carried out on World Cancer Day on February 4, 2019 in Mangalore, Karnataka, India. The study subjects were the walkathon participants willing to be volunteers for the study. Differences in the answers were calculated by ascertaining the difference between the pretest and posttest using McNemar, Chi-square, or Fisher's exact test. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: Pretest scores indicated most volunteers were aware of the role of tobacco and alcohol in cancer, while most were unaware of the importance of fruits and consumption of vegetables and sedentary lifestyle in the development of cancer. Posttest showed a significant increase in knowledge gain (P = 0.003 to <0.001)., Conclusions: For the first time, this study shows Walkathon to be helpful in improving cancer knowledge in the participants. Walkathon is an inexpensive and joyful way to educate people and warrants further study on a range of medical and social themes affecting society to establish its usefulness in public health education., (Copyright © 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics.)

Aim: In India, the Accredited Social Health Activists (abbreviated as ASHA) are an important group of community health workers and are involved in initiating and maintaining health care programs in the rural communities they live. This study was conducted with a purpose to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured teaching module in improving knowledge on cancer cause, diagnosis, and treatment in the ASHA workers., Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional pretest posttest study and was conducted from April 2017 to February 2020 with ASHA workers working in the various Primary Health Centers in Udupi and South Kanara districts of Karnataka and Kasargod district of Kerala in India after obtaining the permission from the medical officer in charge of the respective primary health centers. The participants were briefed about the study objective and also that confidentiality will be maintained. A validated investigator developed questionnaire consisting of 20 questions categorized into four domains (general, subject, diagnosis, and treatment aspects) was distributed to the willing volunteers before the start of the program. They were instructed to fill the pretest form before and posttest after the teaching program. Informed content was taken in a separate sheet and volunteers were informed not to write any personal or identification details. Resource persons with experience in cancer cause, diagnosis and treatment delivered the structured talk in the local language Kannada. The data collected from the filled questionnaires were subjected to frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation and appropriately subjected to Chi-square test or paired t-test. A P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The demographic detail suggest that majority of the women were Hindus (79.3%), married (93.7%), between the age of 31-40 (46.7%) and had only matriculation as the highest education (68%). The analysis of the pretest administration collected before the start of teaching program indicates that most participants were aware of self-breast examination (79.74%) and that cancer is a disease as old as human civilization (70.26%), while only 8.82% were unaware of which is the leading type of cancer in rural women. The results analyzed from posttest indicate that the highest percentage change (323.96%) was observed for domain on treatment aspects followed by for general (64.03%), diagnosis (56.70%), and subject (36.42%) aspect and was significant (P < 0.001). The total mean values changed from 6.48 ± 2.01 in pretest to 11.81 ± 2.15 in posttest indicating an increase of 5.33 ± 1.91 and percentage change of 82.25% (P < 0.001). The results also showed that 60.8% had average, while 39.2% had good increment in the knowledge at the end of the program., Conclusions: The observations of the current study indicate the usefulness of the structured teaching module in improving knowledge on cancer cause, diagnosis and treatment in the ASHA workers. It is proposed that with further training ASHA workers can be very useful in the propagation of cancer awareness and screening in the community they serve., (Copyright © 2023 Copyright: © 2023 Journal of Cancer Research and Therapeutics.)

The World Health Organization predicts a 70% increase in cancer incidents in developing nations over the next decade, and it will be the second leading cause of death worldwide. Traditional plant-based medicine systems play an important role against various diseases and provide health care to a large section of the population in developing countries. Indigenous fruits and their bioactive compounds with beneficial effects like antioxidant, antiproliferative, and immunomodulatory are shown to be useful in preventing the incidence of cancer. India is one of the biodiversity regions and is native to numerous flora and fauna in the world. Of the many fruiting trees indigenous to India, Mango (Mangifera indica), Black plum (Eugenia jambolana or Syzygium jambolana), Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis or Phyllanthus emblica), kokum (Garcinia indica or Brindonia indica), stone apple or bael (Aegle marmelos), Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), Karaunda (Carissa carandas) and Phalsa (Grewia asiatica), Monkey Jackfruit (Artocarpus lakoocha) and Elephant apple (Dillenia indica) have been shown to be beneficial in preventing cancer and in the treatment of cancer in validated preclinical models of study. In this review, efforts are also made to collate the fruits' anticancer effects and the important phytochemicals. Efforts are also made to address the underlying mechanism/s responsible for the beneficial effects of these fruits in cancer prevention and treatment. These fruits have been a part of the diet, are non-toxic, and easily acceptable for human application. The plants and some of their phytochemicals possess diverse medicinal properties. The authors propose that future studies should be directed at detailed studies with various preclinical models of study with both composite fruit extract/juice and the individual phytochemicals. Additionally, translational studies should be planned with the highly beneficial, well-investigated and pharmacologically multifactorial amla to understand its usefulness as a cancer preventive in the high-risk population and as a supportive agent in cancer survivors. The outcome of both preclinical and clinical studies will be useful for patients, the healthcare fraternity, pharmaceutical, and agro-based sectors., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

In the treatment of cancer, the use of ionizing radiation is an important modality. However, on the downside, radiation, when used for curative purposes, causes acute dermatitis or radiodermatitis at the site of radiation in most individuals. From a clinical viewpoint, severe dermatitis causes a burning and itching sensation is very painful and severely affects the quality of life of the individual undergoing treatment. In worse situations, acute radiation dermatitis can cause gaps or breaks in the planned treatment and this can adversely affect the treatment objective and outcome., Background: In various traditional and folk systems of medicine, plants and plant products have been used since time immemorial for treating various skin ailments. Further, many cosmeceutical creams formulated based on knowledge from ethnomedicinal use are marketed and used to treat various ailments. In the current review, an attempt is made at summarizing the beneficial effects of some plants and plant products in mitigating acute radiation dermatitis in humans undergoing curative radiotherapy. Additionally, emphasis is also placed on the mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects., Objective: The objective of this review is to summarize the clinical observations on the prevention of radiodermatitis by plant products. In this review, the protective effects of Adlay (Coix lachryma-jobi L.) bran extract, Aloe vera, Calendula officinalis, Cucumis sativus, green tea constituent the epigallocatechin-3-gallate, honey, Achillea millefolium, Matricaria chamomilla, olive oil, and some polyherbal creams are addressed by also focusing on the mechanism of action for the beneficial effects., Methods: Two authors' data mined for information in Google Scholar, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for publications in the field from 1901 up to July 2020. The focus was on acute radiation dermatitis, ionizing radiation, curative radiotherapy, human cancer. The articles were collected and analyzed., Results: For the first time, this review addresses the usefulness of natural products like adlay bran, Aloe vera, Calendula officinalis, Cucumis sativus, green tea constituent the epigallocatechin-3-gallate, honey, Achillea millefolium, Matricaria chamomilla, olive oil, and some experimentally constituted and commercially available polyherbal creams as skincare agents against the deleterious effects of ionizing radiation on the skin. The protective effects are possibly due to the free radical scavenging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, wound healing and skin protective effects., Conclusion: The authors suggest that these plants have been used since antiquity as medicinal agents and require in-depth investigation with both clinical and preclinical validated models of study. The results of these studies will be extremely useful to cancer patients requiring curative radiotherapy, the dermatology fraternity, agro-based and pharmaceutical sectors at large., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Ionising radiation has been an important modality in cancer treatment and its value is immense when surgical intervention is risky or might debilitate/adversely affect the patient. However, the beneficial effect of radiation modality is negated by the damage to the adjacent healthy tissue in the field of radiation. Under these situations, the use of radioprotective compounds that can selectively protect normal tissues against radiation injury is considered very useful. However, research spanning over half a century has shown that there are no ideal radioprotectors available. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or USFDA) approved amifostine, or WR-2721 (Walter Reed-2721) [chemically S-2-(3-aminopropyl-amino) ethyl phosphorothioic acid] is toxic at their optimal concentrations. This has necessitated the need for agents that are safe and easily acceptable to humans., Background: Dietary agents with beneficial effects like free radical scavenging, antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects are being recognized as useful and have been investigated for their radioprotective properties. Studies in these lines have shown that the fruits of Aegle marmelos (stone apple or bael), Emblica officinalis or Phyllanthus emblica (Indian gooseberry/amla), Eugenia jambolana or Syzygium jambolana (black plum/jamun), Mangifera indica (mango) and Grewia asiatica (phalsa or falsa) that are originally reported to be indigenous to India have been investigated for their usefulness as radioprotective agents., Objective: The objective of this review is to summarize the beneficial effects of the Indian indigenous fruits, stone apple, mango, Indian gooseberry, black plum, and phalsa, in mitigating radiation-induced side effects, emphasize the underlying mechanism of action for the beneficial effects and address aspects that merit detail investigations for these fruits to move towards clinical application in the near future., Methods: The authors data-mined Google Scholar, PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library for publications in the field from 1981 up to July 2020. The focus was on the radioprotection and the mechanism responsible for the beneficial effects, and accordingly, the articles were collated and analyzed., Results: This article emphasizes the usefulness of stone apple, mango, Indian gooseberry, black plum, and phalsa as radioprotective agents. From a mechanistic view, reports are suggestive that the beneficial effects are mediated by triggering free radical scavenging, antioxidant, anti-mutagenic and anti-inflammatory effects., Conclusion: For the first time, this review addresses the beneficial effects of mango, Indian gooseberry, black plum, stone apple and phalsa as radioprotective agents. The authors suggest that future studies should be directed at understanding the selective radioprotective effects with tumor-bearing laboratory animals to understand their usefulness as radioprotective drug/s during radiotherapy and as a food supplement to protect people from getting exposed to low doses of radiation in occupational settings. Phase I clinical trial studies are also required to ascertain the optimal dose and the schedule to be followed with the standardized extract of these fruits. The most important aspect is that these fruits, being a part of the diet, have been consumed since the beginning of mankind, are non-toxic, possess diverse medicinal properties, have easy acceptability, all of which will help take research forward and be of benefit to patients, occupational workers, agro-based sectors and pharma industries., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)

Background: In elderly people, the body's metabolic processes are not optimal and pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamic profile of drugs are compromised or reduced. Under these conditions, the concomitant use of diverse classes of drugs can potentially increase the risk of adverse reactions and drug interactions. This will consequentially affect the already debilitated organ system. As far as the authors are aware, there are no studies addressing the drug-drug interactions and adverse drug reactions due to polypharmacy in older patients with cancer and therefore, we conducted this study., Methods: This was an observational chart-based study and was carried out in a tertiary care cancer hospital. The data concerning prescription of all prescribed medications were noted down from the medication chart of the patient in the wards., Results: The most common drug-to-drug interaction that could have happened was due to the combination of theophylline with budesonide (26.10%). Adverse drug reactions were noted during the course of time, the most common being nausea and vomiting (71.9%)., Conclusions: As the geriatric population is increasing, the need to address medical problems among aged patients with cancer is the need of the hour. The adverse drug reactions and drug interactions that have occurred were lesser when compared to published observations., Competing Interests: None

The use of compounds which can selectively protect normal tissues against radiation injury is of immense use because in addition to it protecting the normal tissue, will also permits use of higher doses of radiation to obtain better cancer control and possible cure. However, most of the radio protective compounds investigated possess inadequate clinical application principally due to their inherent systemic toxicity at their optimal protective concentrations. Plants commonly used as medicinal and dietary agents have recently been the focus of attention and studies have shown that Ocimum sanctum Linn. commonly known as the Holy Basil and its water soluble flavonoids, orientin and vicenin protects experimental animals against the radiation-induced sickness and mortality at nontoxic concentrations. Studies with tumor bearing mice have also shown that both Tulsi extract and its flavonoids selectively protect the normal tissues against the tumoricidal effects of radiation. Preclinical studies have also shown that the aqueous extract of the Tulsi leaves; its flavanoids orientin and vicenin, and eugenol, the principal nonpolar constituent present in Tulsi prevent radiation-induced clastogenesis. Mechanistic studies have indicated that free radical scavenging, antioxidant, metal chelating and anti-inflammatory effects may contribute toward the observed protection. In addition, clinical studies with a small number of patients have shown that Tulsi was effective as a radio protective agent. This review summarizes the results related to the radio protective properties of Tulsi and its phytochemicals and also emphasizes the aspects that warrant future research to establish its use as a radio protective agent.

The use of ionizing radiation, which is the cornerstone of cancer treatment, is compromised by the radiosensitivity of normal tissues. A chemical that can give selective benefit to the normal cells against the deleterious effects of ionizing radiation has been a long-sought goal. However, most of the compounds studied have shown inadequate clinical application owing to their inherent toxicity, undesirable side effects, and high cost. Studies carried out in the past 2 decades have shown that some of the classical Indian Ayurvedic drugs (Amritaprasham, Ashwagandha Rasayana, Brahma Rasayana, Chyavanprasha, Narasimha Rasayana, and Triphala Churna) possess radioprotective effects. In the current review, an attempt is made to summarize the radioprotective observations of these Ayurvedic drugs and the mechanisms responsible for the radioprotective effects.

Aegle marmelos, commonly known as Bael and belonging to the family Rutaceae is an important medicinal plant in the traditional Indian system of medicine, the Ayurveda. The extract prepared by boiling the bark, leaves or roots in water is useful as laxative, febrifuge, and expectorant. The extract is also useful in ophthalmia, deafness, inflammations, catarrh, diabetes, and asthmatic complaints. The fruits are used in treating diarrhea, dysentery, stomach ache, and cardiac ailments. Scientific studies have validated many of Bael's ethnomedicinal properties and its potential antimicrobial effects, hypoglycemic, astringent, antidiarrheal, antidysenteric, demulcent, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, wound-healing, insecticidal, and gastroprotective properties. In addition, studies have also shown that Bael and some of the Bael phytochemicals possess antineoplastic, radioprotective, chemoprotective, and chemopreventive effects, properties efficacious in the treatment and prevention of cancer. For the first time, the current review summarizes the results related to these properties and emphasizes aspects that require further investigation for Bael's safe and effective use in the near future.

Ocimum sanctum L. or Ocimum tenuiflorum L, commonly known as the Holy Basil in English or Tulsi in the various Indian languages, is a important medicinal plant in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine in Southeast Asia. Scientific studies have shown it to possess antiinflammatory, analgesic, antipyretic, antidiabetic, hepatoprotective, hypolipidemic, antistress, and immunomodulatory activities. Preclinical studies have also shown that Tulsi and some of its phytochemicals eugenol, rosmarinic acid, apigenin, myretenal, luteolin, β-sitosterol, and carnosic acid prevented chemical-induced skin, liver, oral, and lung cancers and to mediate these effects by increasing the antioxidant activity, altering the gene expressions, inducing apoptosis, and inhibiting angiogenesis and metastasis. The aqueous extract of Tulsi and its flavanoids, orintin, and vicenin are shown to protect mice against γ-radiation-induced sickness and mortality and to selectively protect the normal tissues against the tumoricidal effects of radiation. The other important phytochemicals like eugenol, rosmarinic acid, apigenin, and carnosic acid are also shown to prevent radiation-induced DNA damage. This review summarizes the results related to the chemopreventive and radioprotective properties of Tulsi and also emphasizes aspects that warrant future research to establish its activity and utility in cancer prevention and treatment.

Despite significant advances and development of novel anti-emetics, nausea and vomiting (emesis) is a major side-effect of cancer chemotherapy. At times, severe nausea and vomiting may also lead to reduction in adherence to the treatment regimen, and this will concomitantly affect the patient's survival. The rhizome of Zingiber officinale, commonly known as ginger, is globally an important spice. It has been used for centuries in the Indian, Chinese, Arabic, Tibetan, Unani, and Siddha systems of traditional medicine to treat nausea and vomiting induced by different stimuli. Preclinical studies with experimental animals (dogs and rats) have shown that the various extracts of ginger and the ginger juice possess anti-emetic effects against chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Gingerol, the active principle, is also shown to possess anti-emetic effects in minks. However, with regard to humans, while most studies have been supportive of the preclinical observations, a few have been contradictory. The exact mechanism responsible for the anti-emetic effects of ginger is unknown; however, the ginger phytochemicals, especially 6-gingerol, 8-gingerol, 10-gingerol, and 6-shogaol, may function as a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT3) antagonist, NK1 antagonist, antihistaminic, and possess prokinetic effects. The present review for the first time attempts to address the anti-emetic observations and the variability in response of the anti-emetic effects of ginger in cancer chemotherapy. An attempt is also made to address the lacunae in the published studies and emphasize aspects that need further investigations for ginger to be of use in clinics as an anti-emetic agent in the future.

Despite acquiring a strong understanding of the molecular basis and advances in treatment, cancer is the second major cause of death in the world. In clinics, the stagedependent treatment strategies may include surgery, radiotherapy and systemic treatments like hormonotherapy and chemotherapy, which are associated with side effects. The use of traditional herbal medicine in cancer patients is on a rise, as it is believed that these medications are non toxic and alleviate the symptoms of cancer, boost the immune system, or may tackle the cancer itself. Since antiquity the rhizome of Zingiber officinale Roscoe commonly known as ginger (family Zingiberaceae) have widely been used as a spice and condiment in different societies. Additionally, ginger also has a long history of medicinal use in various cultures for treating common colds, fever, to aid digestion, treat stomach upset, diarrhoea, nausea, rheumatic disorders, gastrointestinal complications and dizziness. Preclinical studies have also shown that ginger possesses chemopreventive and antineoplastic properties. It is also reported to be effective in ameliorating the side effects of γ-radiation and of doxorubicin and cisplatin; to inhibit the efflux of anticancer drugs by P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and to possess chemosensitizing effects in certain neoplastic cells in vitro and in vivo. The objective of this review is to address observations on the role of ginger as adjuvant to treatment modalities of cancer. Emphasis is also placed on the drawbacks and on future directions for research that will have a consequential effect on cancer treatment and cure.

Emblica officinalis Gaertn. or Phyllanthus emblica Linn, commonly known as Indian gooseberry or amla, is arguably the most important medicinal plant in the Indian traditional system of medicine, the Ayurveda. Various parts of the plant are used to treat a range of diseases, but the most important is the fruit. The fruit is used either alone or in combination with other plants to treat many ailments such as common cold and fever; as a diuretic, laxative, liver tonic, refrigerant, stomachic, restorative, alterative, antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, hair tonic; to prevent peptic ulcer and dyspepsia, and as a digestive. Preclinical studies have shown that amla possesses antipyretic, analgesic, antitussive, antiatherogenic, adaptogenic, cardioprotective, gastroprotective, antianemia, antihypercholesterolemia, wound healing, antidiarrheal, antiatherosclerotic, hepatoprotective, nephroprotective, and neuroprotective properties. In addition, experimental studies have shown that amla and some of its phytochemicals such as gallic acid, ellagic acid, pyrogallol, some norsesquiterpenoids, corilagin, geraniin, elaeocarpusin, and prodelphinidins B1 and B2 also possess antineoplastic effects. Amla is also reported to possess radiomodulatory, chemomodulatory, chemopreventive effects, free radical scavenging, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimutagenic and immunomodulatory activities, properties that are efficacious in the treatment and prevention of cancer. This review for the first time summarizes the results related to these properties and also emphasizes the aspects that warrant future research to establish its activity and utility as a cancer preventive and therapeutic drug in humans.

Since antiquity, Piper betel Linn (betel vine; family Piperaceae) has been an important medicinal agent in the various traditional and folk systems of medicine in Southeast Asia countries. The leaves are the most valued plant part and in the past were routinely used as a chewing agent to prevent halitosis. The leaves are also supposed to harden the gum, conserve the teeth and to prevent indigestion, bronchitis, constipation, congestion, coughs and asthma. Innumerable scientific studies have validated the ethnomedicinal claims. Betel leaves are an integral component of the betel quid that consists of areca nut (Areca catechu Linn.), tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L) and slaked lime; a highly abused agent with carcinogenic properties. Regular chewing of betel quid is associated mainly with oral cancer and detail studies with individual constituents of the quid have shown that both tobacco and areca nut are carcinogenic, while slaked lime is shown to promote the process of carcinogenesis. However unlike other constituents of the betel quid, the betel leaves devoid carcinogenic effects and on the contrary possesses cancer preventive effects including against the carcinogens present in tobacco. This review for the first time provides information on cancer preventive effects and also addresses the various mechanisms which might be involved.

Despite good understanding of the molecular basis of the disease and advances in treatment, globally cancer is still a major cause of death. Estimates are that it will surpass cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death, with higher incidences in the developing countries that have minimal resources. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the two most commonly used treatment modalities, are associated with untoward side effects. This has necessitated the search for alternatives that are effective, non toxic and easily affordable for patients and traditional medicinal plants are an ideal source. Eugenia jambolana Lam., commonly known as black plum or 'jamun' is an important medicinal plant in various traditional systems of medicine. It is effective in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, inflammation, ulcers and diarrhea and preclinical studies have also shown it to possess antineoplastic, chemopreventive and radioprotective properties. Here, for the first time, the effects of jamun in treatment and prevention of cancer, and the mechanisms responsible for these effects are appraised. Additionally the drawbacks in existing knowledge are also stressed to emphasize the possible avenues that need to be investigated, so that maximum effects on both prevention and cure can be attained.

Background: Triphala (Sanskrit tri = three and phala = fruits), composed of the three medicinal fruits Phyllanthus emblica L. or Emblica officinalis Gaertn., Terminalia chebula Retz., and Terminalia belerica Retz. is an important herbal preparation in the traditional Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda. Triphala is an antioxidant-rich herbal formulation and possesses diverse beneficial properties. It is a widely prescribed Ayurvedic drug and is used as a colon cleanser, digestive, diuretic, and laxative. Cancer is a major cause of death, and globally studies are being conducted to prevent cancer or to develop effective nontoxic therapeutic agents. Experimental studies in the past decade have shown that Triphala is useful in the prevention of cancer and that it also possesses antineoplastic, radioprotective and chemoprotective effects., Conclusions: This review for the first time summarizes these results, with emphasis on published observations. Furthermore, the possible mechanisms responsible for the beneficial effects and lacunas in the existing knowledge that need to be bridged are also discussed.

The effective use of radiotherapy in cancer cure and palliation is compromised by the side-effects resulting from radiosensitivity of bordering normal tissues, which are invariably exposed to the cytotoxic effects of ionizing radiation during treatment. In this situation, use of radioprotective compounds that can protect normal tissues against radiation injury are of immense use. In addition to protecting normal tissue these compounds will also permit use of higher radiation doses to obtain better cancer control and possible cure. However, to date, no ideal radioprotectors are available as most synthetic compounds are toxic at their optimal concentrations and have produced little success in clinics. Radiation ill-effects are principally the result of generation of free radicals, and the antioxidant compounds that counter them are supposed to be of immense use in preventing them. In Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine, several plants have been observed to avert/ameliorate free radical-mediated ailments--an effect that has been documented--and such plants have recently been the focus of attention. Aegle marmelos (L.) Correa (Bael), commonly known as bael, has been used since antiquity for treating various ailments, some of which are now known to be the result of oxidative stress. In studies spanning nearly a decade, it has been observed that bael prevented radiation-induced ill-effects, and the results of these studies indicate that it has the potential to be an effective, nontoxic radioprotective agent. In this current review, for the first time, an attempt is made to summarize these observations and to discuss the plausible reasons responsible for bael's radioprotective effects.