Phytochemicals in Cancer Therapy: From Preclinical Studies to Clinical Practice
A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Oncology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 July 2026 | Viewed by 17
Special Issue Editor
Interests: cancer drug discovery; cancer biology; cancer immunology; pharmacology; biochemistry; nutrigenomics
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Cancer continues to represent a major global health burden and remains a leading cause of death worldwide, despite major advances in molecularly targeted therapies and immuno-oncology. Systemic toxicity, acquired drug resistance, and the limited durability of clinical responses continue to challenge current treatment paradigms. In this context, phytochemical compounds have gained increasing attention as promising modulators of cancer-relevant molecular pathways. Extensive preclinical investigations have consistently shown that diverse classes of phytochemicals, including alkaloids, terpenoids, polyphenols, saponins, and flavonoids, can modulate key hallmarks of cancer by regulating cell proliferation, metastasis, angiogenesis, programmed cell death, tumor metabolism, inflammation, and immune responses. Nevertheless, the translation of these promising findings into clinically effective interventions remains challenging, underscoring critical gaps between preclinical evidence and patient outcomes.
This Special Issue seeks to provide a critical and comprehensive overview of current knowledge on phytochemicals in cancer therapy, encompassing their discovery, mechanistic insights, preclinical evidence and clinical translation. We welcome contributions in the form of original research articles, communications, critical and systematic reviews, proof-of-concept studies, clinical trial results, and case studies that elucidate molecular targets and signaling pathways, investigate pharmacokinetics, bioavailability, formulation, and delivery strategies, identify predictive biomarkers, explore mechanisms of drug resistance and synergistic combinations, and report rigorously designed preclinical or clinical studies that advance the translational potential of phytochemicals in cancer treatment.
By integrating molecular mechanisms, translational research, and clinical perspectives, this Special Issue highlights challenges, knowledge gaps, opportunities, and future directions for harnessing phytochemicals as standalone compounds or adjuvants in cancer therapy, with the aim of accelerating their safe and effective clinical translation.
Prof. Dr. Mounir Tilaoui
Guest Editor
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Keywords
- phytochemicals
- cancer therapy
- molecular mechanisms
- signaling pathways
- programmed cell death
- tumor microenvironment
- drug resistance
- preclinical models
- clinical translation
- adjuvant therapy
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