This Recent Results in Cancer Research volume contains the majority of the invited expert contributions of the Fifth International Conference on Cancer Prevention, held 6'8 March 2008 at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Written by some of the world's leading experts in the field, the volume constitutes a comprehensive update on the most important and recent developments in molecular biology and cancer genetics, regarding chiefly the upsurging, but still controversial, field of primary prevention, especially chemoprevention. This conference primarily addressed the four leading and most frequent solid tumor types - breast, colon, gynecological, and lung cancer - all of which demonstrate how such an approach is currently possible and important in clinical cancer prevention research. The future prospects of chemoprevention and the process of selecting the most successful target populations at risk are discussed.