The Effects of Natural Products in Cancer Chemoprevention and Treatment

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is a noncommunicable disease characterized by the uncontrolled proliferation of cells. It is a leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for nearly 10 million deaths in 2020. Even though innovative strategies such as targeted therapy and immunotherapy are being largely used, in most cases, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are still the most predominantly used forms of therapy. However, since they mainly act by damaging the DNA of rapidly dividing cancer cells, they also affect other normal cells with high rates of proliferation, and thus can be associated with deleterious side effects. Moreover, drug resistance very frequently arises in treated patients. Targeted therapy and immunotherapy have also been associated with undesired side effects. As a result, there is growing interest in exploring new therapeutic approaches able to exert an efficacious antineoplastic effect, while being safe to normal cells. In recent years, natural compounds extracted from vegetables, fruits, and other dietary constituents, such as marine polyunsaturated fatty acids and minerals, have been widely studied for their potential to prevent cancer or for their use in combination with conventional or innovative anti-neoplastic therapies to improve their beneficial effects against cancer cells and reduce the concentration of drugs used.

This Special Issue will highlight results of preclinical and clinical studies currently focused on cancer and that are related to anti-neoplastic therapeutic strategies involving natural products. In particular, it will provide an overview of novel molecular pathways targeted by natural products that are crucial for cancer treatments. Hence, for this Special Issue, we are inviting researchers to contribute original articles and reviews on these topics.

Dr. Simona Serini
Dr. Gabriella Calviello
Guest Editors

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• natural products
• cancer
• therapeutic strategies
• novel molecular pathways