Current Cancer Therapy Reviews - Volume 21, Issue 1, 2025

Breast cancer poses a significant global health challenge, and if current trends persist, the burden of breast cancer is projected to escalate, yielding over 3 million new cases and 1 million fatalities annually by the year 2040. Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disease, presenting a spectrum of subtypes, each characterized by unique clinical behaviors and responses to treatments. Understanding these breast cancer subtypes is of paramount importance in the fields of oncology and personalized medicine. In addition to conventional breast cancer treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormonal therapy, and immunotherapy, recent scientific advancements have introduced a range of genetic engineering tools with noteworthy potential. Zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs), clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR), and small interfering RNA (siRNA) have emerged as promising components of breast cancer treatment. These tools offer encouraging applications due to their precision in targeting and manipulating genes. This review presents a comprehensive exploration of the various subtypes of breast cancer, along with an examination of the current promising genetic engineering tools in treating breast cancer. It sheds light on their roles in the evolving landscape of breast cancer treatment.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a commonly diagnosed cancer responsible for numerous deaths worldwide. In recent decades, technological advances implicated in considering the molecular pathways underlying CRC pathogenesis. Several investigations have identified various mechanisms involved in CRC and have paved the way for new therapeutics and early diagnosis. Gut microbiome play a crucial role in intestinal inflammation and can be associated with colitis colorectal cancer. In this review, we narrated the role of the microbiome population and their metabolome profile as a new screening method for early detection of CRC.

Retinoblastoma is the most common pediatric ocular cancer. This cancer occurs due to malignancy in retinoblast cells, which are precursors of photoreceptors, horizontal cells, amacrine cells, muller cells, and retinal progenitor cells in the retina of the eye. Genetic correlation has been observed in most cases of retinoblastoma. It is caused due to the suppression or mutation of the retinoblastoma 1 gene (RB1 gene), which is located at the 14^th band of both alleles of the 13^th human chromosome. RB1 gene is a tumour suppressor gene responsible for regulating cell growth and controlling abnormal cell division. In the last two decades, as accurate identification of characteristic features of cancer cells at various stages of retinoblastoma has been made, we can now plan more advanced and personalized management of the disease due to improved and focused therapeutic effects of cryotherapy, thermotherapy, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and surgical interventions. These efforts can lead to a better survival rate with reduced damage to the non-cancerous cells in the eyeball, promoting better visual performance (better visual acuity and visual axis alignment). Based on studies published in PubMed and Google Scholar till 2023, current treatment options at various stages of retinoblastoma are reviewed to suggest the most promising treatment options. Based on this information, a clear treatment flowchart has been prepared. This review article can assist researchers, eye specialists, geneticists, and cancer specialists in determining the most promising method for treating retinoblastoma at various stages.

Breast cancer is an aggressive disease with a significant morbidity and death rate among women worldwide. Despite the progress of diagnostic and therapy options for breast cancer in recent years, the prognosis and survival rates of breast cancer patients remain unsatisfactory. The aberrant growth and spread of tumor cells are the leading cause of death in these patients. More profound knowledge of molecular biology underlying breast cancer and a more accurate stratification are still necessary for more precise therapy. Further understanding of the disease's molecular mechanism and genetic aberrations may allow for the identification of more accurate prognostic and diagnostic markers and more effective treatments. Tumor protein D52 (TPD52) is an oncogene whose overexpression has been found in breast cancer. Overexpression of TPD52 has been linked to specific molecular subtypes of breast cancer, including luminal B and ERBB2-positive tumors. Besides, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) were found to play a significant role in breast cancer progression. ncRNAs play regulatory roles in cell behaviors, cancer pathogenesis, radiotherapy, and resistance to chemotherapy. Multiple ncRNAs could modulate the expression of TPD52 and regulate breast cancer cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis. In this review, we summarized the functions of TPD52 in breast cancer cells.

Leukaemia, lymphoma, and myeloma are among the serious and frequently fatal conditions that impact thousands of people each year. Genetics, environmental factors, and medical problems can all affect the risk of developing blood cancer, however, the precise causes are still not entirely known. Fatigue, unexpected weight loss, and frequent infections are examples of common blood cancer symptoms. In the course of the diagnosis process, blood tests, imaging tests, and bone marrow biopsies are frequently combined. Blood cancer therapies include chemotherapy, radiation therapy, stem cell transplant, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. Supportive care is also important for managing symptoms and improving quality of life. Ongoing research is exploring new treatments and therapies for blood cancer, as well as ways to improve supportive care and personalize treatment plans. Blood cancer patients and their families have severe emotional and psychological effects that must not be ignored. For improving outcomes and raising the general standard of living for people affected by this condition, it is essential to address these needs.

The second most prevalent cause of fatalities globally is malignant tumors. The avoidance and therapy of cancer proliferation still have many prospects for betterment despite enormous advancements. Chemotherapy can occasionally have a lot of unfavorable adverse reactions. Novel agents from botanicals, especially the use of cancer therapeutic ingredients, may decrease negative consequences. There are currently several products from plants used for fighting cancer. However, numerous plant chemicals have not yet been examined in people but show extremely encouraging in-vitro anti-cancer properties. Further research is required to determine whether these plant chemicals are beneficial in treating human cancers. The present work has focused on the various traditional herbal remedies and the phytochemicals that exhibited promising anticancer impact. The desirable activity may be due to novel agents isolated from plant sources. The present investigations address natural ingredients for cancer treatment and chemoprevention that are now being used in clinical settings and/or are undergoing clinical studies. Potential research concentrating on naturally anticancer drugs can create an entirely novel avenue in the fight against cancer that could significantly boost the chance of survival for cancer patients.

Cancer is one of the main causes of mortality that affects a large propotion of population worldwide each year. Traditional and synthetic medications are less successful in cancer treatment. The deleterious effects of synthetic compounds divert our attention toward the utilization of naturally derived compounds in current clinical research. The impact of biodiversity on population development and livelihood represents a wider area of interest that still heavily relies on natural medicines against the cure of various ailments. Since ancient times, people have been using natural plants because of their accessibility and economical affordability as a safe therapeutic alternative to traditional synthetic drugs. Currently, plants are used because of their remarkable properties in the form of staple drugs. These plants gain huge attention as a safe treatment option with anti-tumor, chemo-protective and anti-proliferative properties than conventional harmful therapeutics. The secondary metabolites extracted from medicinal plants lead to the production of innovative therapeutic strategies against cancer and other diseases. Targeted delivery of pharmaceuticals agents, through chemical and conventional methods is a significant challenge. The discovery of nano-vectors provides a solution to this issue with the innovation of plant-based nanoparticles have been manufactured using an ecologically sound method. Based on the highlights provided, the current review provides updated knowledge on diverse aspects of medicinal plants including challenges, significance and their role as a potential therapeutic agent against the treatment of various diseases, especially cancers. This subsequent review entails and clarifies the benefits of phytochemicals extracted from Asian medicinal plants due to their imperative values in cancer treatment and other pharmacological targets. The recent discoveries and findings linked to the understanding of medicinal drugs with significance on wide range of phytochemical constituents or secondary metabolites are a current attempt to update our knowledge towards the progress of natural therapeutics novel strategies.