chemopreventive effects of vitamins in oral cancer

Background: cancer continues to pose a significant public health challenge, with mortality rates rising annually. despite advancements in surgical techniques, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, researchers are actively exploring novel and innovative strategies for cancer treatment. among these approaches, the potential chemopreventive effects of vitamins have garnered considerable attention in recent years.objectives: numerous studies have investigated the use of vitamins in the prevention of tumors and the reversal of premalignant conditions. however, there is a need for a comprehensive review to synthesize the existing evidence and outline future research directions. this review aims to aggregate the available literature concerning the efficacy of vitamins in the chemoprevention of oral cancer.methods: this review systematically evaluates and consolidates findings on the effectiveness of vitamins in preventing oral cancer. studies were identified through searches in the pubmed and google scholar databases focusing on vitamins and cancer chemoprevention, resulting in the inclusion of 14 studies. the review encompasses studies involving vitamin administration to high-risk cancer patients or individuals with premalignant lesions.results: among the 14 studies included, 9 were randomized controlled trials (rcts) and 5 were clinical trials. sample sizes varied from 16 to 532 participants. the demographic profile across these studies predominantly featured individuals over 50 years of age, with a significant proportion being tobacco users. the gender distribution revealed that approximately 80% of participants were male and 20% female. remission rates of oral premalignant lesions ranged from 54% to 98%, as indicated by both clinical and histological responses to vitamins a and e. the primary clinical outcome assessed was the reduction or elimination of premalignant lesions, particularly leukoplakia, which was reported in 90% of the trials. the main interventions studied included various forms of vitamin a, beta-carotene, vitamin e, and vitamin c.conclusion: this review provides a synthesis of scientific evidence regarding the role of vitamins in chemoprevention, highlighting the most promising candidates in this context. vitamins a and e demonstrate a conclusive association with oral cancer prevention, whereas the roles of vitamins b, c, and d remain less clear and warrant further investigation.