Described herein are compositions and methods for the treatment of cancer, and in particular cancers characterized by a high level of ALD3H1 activity, which is associated with chemoresistance to cancer chemotherapeutic agents that are degraded by ALD3H1. The compositions described herein act as competitive inhibitors of ALD3H1 and thereby reduce breakdown of chemotherapeutics by this enzyme, and increase their efficacy for cancer treatment.
