Natural Products in Cancer Therapy: Past, Present and Future

Natural products, with remarkable chemical diversity, have been extensively investigated for their anticancer potential for more than a half-century. The collective efforts of the community have achieved the tremendous advancements, bringing natural products to clinical use and discovering new therapeutic opportunities, yet the challenges remain ahead. With remarkable changes in the landscape of cancer therapy and growing role of cutting-edge technologies, we may have come to a crossroads to revisit the strategies to understand nature products and to explore their therapeutic utility. This review summarizes the key advancements in nature product-centered cancer research and calls for the implementation of systematic approaches, new pharmacological models, and exploration of emerging directions to revitalize natural products search in cancer therapy.

Automated summary

Natural products have been extensively studied for their anticancer potential for over half a century, leading to significant advancements in clinical use and therapeutic opportunities. However, challenges remain as the landscape of cancer therapy evolves and cutting-edge technologies play an increasing role. It is crucial to revisit and explore strategies for understanding and utilizing natural products in cancer therapy.