Cancer kills by spreading. The process is called metastases. If cancer is contained and does not metastasize - it does not kill. More than 90% of the cancer deaths are from cancer which has spread locally, regionally or throughout the body.

Resveratrol may prevent, for example, breast cancer because resveratrol suppresses abnormal cell formation that leads to most types of breast cancer. Resveratrol has the ability to prevent the first step that occurs when estrogen starts the process that leads to cancer by blocking the formation of the estrogen DNA adducts. This could stop the whole progression that leads to breast cancer down the road.