Fenretinide

Fenretinide inhibits the growth of several human cancer cell lines, acting through both retinoid-receptor-dependent and retinoid-receptor-independent mechanisms.1In vivo, fenretinide selectively accumulates in breast tissue and is particularly active in inhibiting rat mammary carcinogenesis.1 An important feature of fenretinide is its ability to inhibit cell growth through the induction of apoptosis rather than through differentiation, an effect that is strikingly different from that of vitamin A.1 In contrast to tamoxifen, which inhibits only estrogen receptor (ER)-positive tumors, fenretinide induces apoptosis in both ER-positive and ER-negative breast cancer cell lines.2 All of these properties render fenretinide an attractive candidate for breast cancer chemoprevention.