Remedies for diseases which function by regulating the expression of a protein induced by a heat shock factor (HSF). Specifically, HSF activity inhibitors or agents inhibiting the induction of the production of a protein regulated by HSF, wherein novel benzo-1,3-dioxole compounds represented by general formula (I) inhibit the transcription of a structural gene having a heat shock element sequence, which is a transcriptional regulatory factor, in a gene region participating in the transcription into RNA, thus inhibit the translation of this gene into a protein and, in its turn, suppress the induction of the production of the RNA, protein, etc. encoded by the gene; and remedies and preventives usable in thermotherapy for cancer and remedies and preventives for stress-induced diseases such as depression. Compounds represented by general formula (I): wherein X is -CH2- and R1 represents C¿1-2? alkyl, formyl or halogeno; or X is -(CH2)2- and R?1¿ represents C¿1-3? alkyl, formyl, acetyl, hydrogen or halogeno.