Chapter category: Ischemia-Reperfusion
Superoxide Dismutase Mimetics: A New Approch to Cancer Therapy
Chapter authors:
Valentina Fabbroni, Simone Pierpaoli, Annamaria Di Felice
and Emanuela Masini
The incidence of cancer is increasing because of aging of the population, reduction in the mortality of competing serious illness, and better diagnostic methods. In the developed world, roughly one in three people contract cancer and around one in four of those die from the disease. The worldwide incidence of cancer is set to double from 10 to 20 millions over the next two decades and the death rate will increase from 6 to 10 millions.1 Cancer is the endpoint of a long process during which at least three phases have been identified: initiation, promotion, and progression. Cancer cells are characterised by their lack of growth control and accumulating evidence support the notion that this involves constitutive activation of signaling pathways, that in normal cells are controlled by growth stimulatory factors, or loss of functional activity of components in growth inhibitory pathways.2 Many promoters directly or indirectly induce cell proliferation, recruit inflammatory cells, increase production of free radicals, such as reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS; RNS) leading to oxidative DNA damage, and reduce DNA repair.
