Current Cancer Therapy Reviews - Current Issue

Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell (CAR-T) therapy has emerged as a ground-breaking approach in cancer treatment, offering new hope to patients with refractory or relapsed malignancies. By genetically modifying T lymphocytes, this potent method allows for the targeted eradication of infectious cells. The efficient production of CAR-T cells is essential for the effective use of these treatments to treat malignancies, as it affects not just the product's efficacy as well as safety but also its general availability to patients who require it. This article's primary goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of CAR-T therapy, encompassing its historical evolution, mechanistic insights, clinical applications, challenges, and future directions. By synthesizing existing literature and real-world evidence, this review seeks to elucidate the significance of CAR-T therapy in the landscape of cancer treatment and its potential to redefine the standard of care for patients with refractory or relapsed malignancies. The methodology involved a comprehensive literature search conducted using various databases, including PubMed, Google Scholar, and clinical trial registries such as ClinicalTrials.gov. The search strategy incorporated a combination of relevant keywords and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms, including but not limited to “CAR-T therapy,” “chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy,” “cancer immunotherapy,” “clinical trials,” “pharmaceutical companies,” “regulatory approvals,” “pipeline molecules,” and “cancer types.” Boolean operators (AND, OR) were utilized to refine the search and capture relevant articles and studies. In addition to database searches, manual screening of reference lists from relevant review articles and primary studies was performed to identify additional relevant publications. The inclusion criteria encompassed original research articles, clinical trials, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and regulatory documents related to CAR-T cell therapy and its applications in cancer treatment and the review included studies published in English between January 2010 and March 2024. Exclusion criteria comprised studies not relevant to the scope of the review, such as those focusing on non-CAR-T cell therapies or non-cancer-related topics. This review underscores the transformative potential of CAR-T therapy in cancer treatment, highlighting its efficacy, safety, and clinical relevance across various malignancies. By synthesizing findings from preclinical studies, clinical trials, and real-world data from patients, CAR-T therapy has consistently exhibited remarkable therapeutic outcomes. These include high response rates, durable remissions, and significant improvements in survival outcomes among patients with refractory or relapsed cancers. Additionally, the inclusion of practical research with big data from real patients further supports the robustness and applicability of CAR-T therapy in clinical practice. In conclusion, CAR-T therapy represents a paradigm shift in cancer treatment, offering new avenues for personalized and precision-driven oncology. By addressing current gaps, optimizing treatment protocols, and exploring novel strategies, CAR-T therapy holds immense promise in reshaping the landscape of oncology and providing hope to patients with advanced malignancies.

Targeted protein degradation is a rapidly expanding area that offers hope for novel approaches to combat drug resistance. The creation of heterobifunctional proteolysis-targeting chimeras [PROTACs], a new group of pharmaceutical compounds, has made TPD a useful method for completely getting rid of harmful proteins using regular small-molecule inhibitors. A big plus is that PROTACs can target multi-domain proteins that cannot be broken down. This is the case, particularly for proteins lacking a conserved interaction surface for small-molecule ligands SMIs and featuring smooth surfaces. Poor oral bioavailability and pharmacokinetic PK and ADMET absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity characteristics are among the long-term issues with traditional PROTACs. Their larger size and more complex structure set them apart from other small-molecule inhibitors, which is why they are so effective. Clinical studies have been conducted on a plethora of PROTAC compounds in the past 20 years, all with the goal of inducing the degradation of targets relevant to cancer. In this article, we closely examine the major developments and recent advancements in PROTAC technology. We seek to summarize and fully assess PROTAC-based targeted protein degradation studies on “undruggable” targets. Discussing their molecular structure, action mechanism, design concepts, development benefits, and obstacles will help to illustrate the significance of developing highly successful PROTAC-based techniques in treating many illnesses, including cancer treatment resistance.

Cancer is the most significant cause of mortality worldwide. It accounted for over 10 million deaths worldwide in 2020. Patients experiencing excruciating pain from this malignant disease are worn out of using the conventional allopathic method for recovery; as a result, they opt for the non-medical, otherwise stated non-pharmaceutical approaches as an alternative pathway. This study investigates the development of these non-pharmaceutical interventions in cancer treatment, which include meditation, yoga, music therapy, acupuncture, hypnosis, massage, physical activity/exercise, and stress management to manage psych and physical symptoms. Besides, various natural products procured from the marine sources comprising marine fauna and flora are used. Additionally, multiple terrestrial plants and herbs are used as the source for many nutraceutical preparations. Due to the rise in popularity of these nonconventional methods, the world is using these extracts to treat cancer.

The skin is the body's largest organ and serves as a barrier against hazardous substances and external attacks. The repeated exposure to these external factors like UV radiation, chemical irritants, pollution, smoke, etc, increases the skin cancer risk. In the United States, skin cancer is a serious health issue. There is a lack of medications that can effectively treat skin malignancies. Additionally, the current medications have a range of harmful side effects. Consequently, there is an immediate need for skin cancer treatments that have fewer negative effects. The preventative potential, therapeutic benefits, bioavailability, and structure-activity relationship of some chosen phytochemicals for the treatment of skin cancer are discussed in the review. Many cancer treatments have originated from marine sources, bacteria and even plants. Cutaneous malignant melanoma has the highest death rate of all skin cancers and is the most aggressive type of the disease. There are several ways to treat malignant melanoma; however, they all have very poor success rates because of the emergence of multi-drug resistance. Phytochemicals are an alternate therapy approach that is both easily accessible and affordable. Plant-derived phytoconstituents offer a promising anti-carcinogenic potential for tumors connected to the skin because of their widespread acceptability, safety, fewer side effects, and signal transmission routes that can be targeted in more than one way. Skin malignancies are a substantial cause of morbidity and death in the modern world, and research on novel phytochemicals for their potential to prevent and treat skin cancers has increased dramatically as a result. The antitumor effect of plant-derived medicinal substances can be attributed to several different mechanisms and routes, including the breakdown of mitochondrial membrane potential. This review aimed to provide a concise overview of naturally occurring chemical compounds that are currently utilized in cancer chemotherapies or have demonstrated potential in avoiding melanoma or skin cancer. The overview encompasses a variety of phytochemicals, such as flavonoids, carotenoids, terpenoids, selected polyphenols, and crude plant extracts.

Radiopharmaceutical therapy is a novel targeted cancer treatment approach that is presently being investigated and developed. Radiation is administered in radiopharmaceutical therapy by selectively binding drugs to target cancer cells. Since most radioactive materials used in radiation therapy emit photons, it is possible to monitor the movement of drugs in a non-invasive manner. Compared to other systemic cancer treatments, Radiopharmaceutical therapy has shown effectiveness with minimal adverse effects. Radiopharmaceutical treatment has shown a promising safety profile and potential effectiveness against various types of cancers. Additionally, it has been successful in distinguishing between cancerous and non-cancerous tissues. Radiopharmaceutical therapy offers numerous advantages compared to other techniques. Radiopharmaceuticals are chemical substances containing a radioactive isotope that can release radiation. This radiation can be identified and employed for medical imaging or as a therapy for cancer. Several cancer treatment methods utilize radiopharmaceuticals, such as radioimmunotherapy, radiolabeled peptides, radiolabeled small molecules, bone-targeted radiopharmaceuticals, and others. This review aims to comprehensively analyze the fundamental principles, recent advancements in clinical practice, and an in-depth understanding of radiotherapy in cancer management.

Cancer remains a formidable global health challenge, necessitating innovative therapeutic strategies. Traditional small-molecule inhibitors often face limitations in selectively targeting disease associated proteins, leading to side effects and incomplete therapeutic responses. Proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) have emerged as a promising approach to address these challenges. Unlike traditional inhibitors, PROTACs leverage the cellular ubiquitin-proteasome system to selectively degrade disease-associated proteins. In this review, we discuss PROTACs as a targeted approach for cancer management, highlighting key findings, limitations, and future perspectives. For this, the authors have critically reviewed literature obtained from prime sources comprising Google Scholar, Web of Science, PubMed, and Publons. Additional relevant articles were retrieved from the reference sections of selected papers. Preclinical studies and early-phase clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy and potential of PROTACs in cancer management. Additionally, the potential of PROTACs in overcoming therapy resistance, tackling tumor heterogeneity, and engaging multiple pathways is explored. As research advances, addressing challenges and refining PROTAC technology will pave the way for their integration into the next generation of cancer therapeutics, marking a transformative era in precision medicine.

Self-assembling structures that look similar to viruses in broad terms but do not contain viral genetic material are known as virus-like particles. These particles, made up of viral structural proteins, can have size, shape, and surface characteristics similar to natural viruses. The breakthrough potential of virus-like particles, or VLPs, as a novel cancer therapy strategy is explored in this article. Starting with describing the problems facing cancer therapy today, the emphasis moves to an in-depth study of VLPs, including their different sizes, shapes, and structural characteristics. With insights into drug encapsulation techniques and their implications for anticancer therapy, integrating VLPs into drug delivery systems is important. The article highlights the multiple roles vector lambda polymorphs (VLPs) play in improving diagnostic methods by exploring their dual functioning in medication delivery and imaging. To address concerns about safety and biocompatibility, the paper critically analyses the toxicity study of VLPs. It provides a comprehensive review, touching on ongoing clinical trials and significant patents that impact the environment.