The use of curcumin in the treatment of colorectal, breast, lung, and prostate cancers: An in vivo study update

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer is one of the most prevalent and complex diseases with diverse etiology and manifestations. Curcumin is a bioactive compound found in turmeric and could have therapeutic potential for cancer due to its antitumor properties. Curcumin's properties in treating various types of cancer have been reviewed in this systematic review based on in vivo studies. Materials and methods: This systematic review focused on in vivo studies examining Curcumin's anti-cancer properties across a broad range of cancer types. PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases were searched to identify relevant articles. Researchers selected studies evaluating Curcumin's effects on cancer progression and development based on animal models. Final analyses were conducted on the data obtained from the selected articles. The included studies were published between 2000 and 2023. Results: The current systematic review was based on 53 articles out of 412 eligible studies, which were selected from 770 articles of literature screened from 2000 to 2023. Based on this review, in vivo studies have demonstrated that curcumin can potentially treat various cancers. There is evidence that curcumin has significant anti-cancer properties, including tumor growth inhibition, metastasis inhibitory activity, and angiogenesis. Several studies have demonstrated the versatility and potential of curcumin in treating cancer. Conclusion: Curcumin has considerable cancer treatment potential, based on the in-vivo studies. For curcumin to be considered an effective cancer therapy, further clinical research is needed between preclinical and clinical trials.