ALOX5 and cancer: Prior studies that have noted the importance of vitamin E in preventing cancer: various cancer-promoting pathways such as COX and 5-LOX-catalyzed eicosanoids could be blocked, key transcription factors such as NF-κB and STAT3 could be inhibited, and cancer cell death could be induced by vitamin E via modulating various signaling pathways, including sphingolipid metabolism29.