Recent advances in anticancer drug discovery: A review

Abstract

Cancer is a process of uncontrolled cell proliferation that leads to the development of an abnormally growing tumor, determining initially a local disease that might spread, impairing other organs or important processes. One of the most fatal diseases in recent times, cancer kills many lives each year. The effective management of this condition has been impacted by the variances in the disease across the globe, the impact of the medical facilities that are available, and other socioeconomic issues. The aim of this study was to summaries previously published articles regarding recent advances in anticancer drug discoveries. In this review, previously published literature regarding recent advances in anticancer drug discovery collected from journals through PubMed Central, Google Scholar, and Science Direct from March 20 to May 12 was identified well, and points that I assumed were important and recent (2017–2023) were included.Based on my searches, numerous discoveries are identified and grouped as anticancer drug targets, plant derived advances, chemical compounds with in vivo or in vitro cytotoxic drug discovery, and repurposing advances. Based on a variety of articles published by scholars, this review summarizes some recent advancements in anticancer drug discovery. Under this broad topic, promising and clinically evidenced drug targets for anticancer drug binding, some drugs repurposed for cancer treatment, plant-derived advances in cancer therapy, and finally advances in novel chemical compounds in the area of cancer therapy are reviewed.