Recent Updates and Future Perspectives of Anti-Cancer Agents

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Drug Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 October 2025 | Viewed by 530

Special Issue Editor


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Microbiology, Biochemistry & Immunology, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA 30310, USA
Interests: cancer; drug resistance; natural compound; targeted therapy; drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cancer is a complex and challenging disease that imposes a significant economic burden on society. Despite extensive research aimed at understanding its biology, cancer remains persistent, and there is no cure for its advanced stages. As a result, there is growing interest within the scientific community in developing anti-cancer agents. This Special Issue will focus on the key challenges and recent advancements in targeted therapeutics that aim to improve effectiveness, reduce side effects, and overcome mechanisms of drug resistance in cancer treatment.

We invite authors to submit their research and review articles on the latest progress in therapeutic agents for this Special issue, entitled "Recent Updates and Future Perspectives of Anti-Cancer Agents". We will consider articles focusing on anti-cancer drugs, natural compounds, combination therapy, targeted therapy, nanotherapy, and translational therapy. The ultimate goal is to enhance our understanding of cancer and develop promising therapies that will improve patients' overall quality of life.

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Santosh Kumar Singh
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cancer
  • anti-cancer agents
  • targeted therapy
  • drug resistance
  • therapeutic agents
  • natural compounds
  • combination therapy
  • nanotherapy
  • translational therapy
  • immunotherapy

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (1 paper)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Review

27 pages, 1730 KiB  
Review
Harnessing Liquiritigenin: A Flavonoid-Based Approach for the Prevention and Treatment of Cancer
by Anjana Sajeev, Babu Santha Aswani, Mohammed S. Alqahtani, Mohamed Abbas, Gautam Sethi and Ajaikumar B. Kunnumakkara
Cancers 2025, 17(14), 2328; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17142328 - 13 Jul 2025
Viewed by 287
Abstract
Background/Objectives: The integration of natural compounds in cancer research marked a crucial shift in the modern medical landscape, through a growing acknowledgment of their potential as efficient, less toxic, and cost-effective alternatives to contemporary chemotherapeutics. Liquiritigenin (LIQ) is a compound obtained from different [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: The integration of natural compounds in cancer research marked a crucial shift in the modern medical landscape, through a growing acknowledgment of their potential as efficient, less toxic, and cost-effective alternatives to contemporary chemotherapeutics. Liquiritigenin (LIQ) is a compound obtained from different plants, the most important being the Glycyrrhiza species, commonly known as licorice. Methods: This review compiles findings from previously published preclinical studies and experimental research articles focusing on LIQ’s pharmacological effects, with particular attention to its anticancer potential. The relevant literature was identified using established scientific databases and selected based on relevance to cancer biology and LIQ-associated signaling pathways. Results: LIQ demonstrates anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-proliferative effects. It exerts its potential anticancer activities by inducing apoptosis, preventing cell proliferation, and modulating various signaling pathways such as nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cells (NF-κB), phosphoinositide 3 kinase (PI3K)/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), and so on. Conclusions: LIQ represents a promising natural agent for cancer therapy, with evidence supporting its multifunctional role in targeting tumor growth and survival mechanisms. By providing a detailed analysis of LIQ, this review aims to highlight its therapeutic efficacy across various cancer types and emphasize its importance as a promising compound in cancer research. In addition, this review seeks to bridge the gap between traditional medicine and modern pharmacology and paves the way for LIQ’s clinical application in cancer therapy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Updates and Future Perspectives of Anti-Cancer Agents)
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop