Approximately two of every five people will develop cancer in their lifetime. Dietary modifications are one of the most promising lifestyle changes that can adjust the risk of developing cancer by nearly 40%. Carotenoids are a diverse group of natural pigments and are present in many fruits and vegetables. The data surrounding carotenoids and their potential roles in carcinogenesis have been rapidly growing over the past two decades. This review summarizes the literature surrounding the associations between the most six common carotenoids in the diet and ten of the most commonly diagnosed cancers. In this study, preclinical, epidemiological, and toxicology data were reviewed. Data from these studies suggest that several carotenoids might provide a beneficial impact on reducing carcinogenesis. Further studies are needed to determine the causal relationships between individual carotenoids and cancer incidence and progression. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Carotenoids recent advances in cell and molecular biology edited by Johannes von Lintig and Loredana Quadro.

每五分之二的人一生中都会患上癌症。饮食调整是最有希望的生活方式改变之一，可以将发生癌症的风险调整近40％。类胡萝卜素是各种各样的天然色素，存在于许多水果和蔬菜中。在过去的二十年中，围绕类胡萝卜素及其在致癌作用中潜在作用的数据一直在迅速增长。这篇综述总结了饮食中最常见的六种类胡萝卜素与十种最常见的癌症之间的关联的文献。在这项研究中，临床前，流行病学和毒理学数据进行了审查。这些研究的数据表明，几种类胡萝卜素可能对减少癌变产生有益的影响。需要进一步的研究以确定个体类胡萝卜素与癌症发生率和进展之间的因果关系。本文是由约翰内斯·冯·林提格（Johannes von Lintig）和洛雷丹娜·夸德罗（Loredana Quadro）编辑的《类胡萝卜素在细胞和分子生物学领域的最新进展》特刊的一部分。