Cancer seems to be tightening its grip in India and the world. Recently, new cancer cases were estimated to be 14.1 million and cancer deaths were 8.2 million worldwide, of which nearly 7,00,000 were recorded in India alone, according to “The Agency International Cancer Research Agency (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization, Lyon. Cancer is a complex group of diseases that cause the body's cells to change and grow out of control. These changes start from a single cell. The changes can be permanent alterations to the DNA called mutations. Humans have a number of defensive mechanisms that provide resistance to the reproduction of damaged or mutated cells. During life, thousands of damaged cells are eliminated from the body before becoming active. If cancer cells are sensitive to natural defenses and show irregular cell division without control, cancer cells tend to form clumps or masses of cells called tumors. Not all cancers are dangerous. Cells that are born and remain static are called benign. Some cancer cells often cross into surrounding tissues and can metastasize to any site in the body, damaging nearby cells or organs called malignant or cancerous tumors. External factors that cause cancer are tobacco, infectious organisms, chemicals, and radiation, while internal factors include inherited mutations, hormones, immune conditions, and mutations that occur through metabolism. The most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide are lung, breast and colorectal cancers. The most predominant and deadly disease among all cancers in women includes breast cancer. In 2012, 1.7 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer, so glob...... middle of paper ......f cellular signal transduction As the inhibitory effects of CLA on tumorigenesis occur At intake levels suitable for humans, CLA could prove to be an important chemopreventive component of our diet. However, the inconclusive results of some experimental studies regarding the effects of fatty acids on cancer progression have arisen in part from the use of complex mixtures of dietary fats. Evaluation of individual, simple mixtures of CLA isomers in controlled studies will identify key anticancer isomers to develop new dietary supplements for individuals at increased risk of cancer or patients undergoing anticancer treatment. Given the direct association of colorectal and prostate cancer with total fat intake, dietary intervention with anticancer fatty acids such as CLA may prove effective as an adjuvant treatment of cancer patients..