Application of cancer organoids: The forefront of personalized oncology and preclinical testing

Cancer remains one of the most pressing medical problems in the world. Recent years have seen a gradual rise in utilization of “organoids,” a novel in vitro three-dimensional culture technology, in cancer research. Organoids are multicellular structures derived from human stem cells, and cancer organoids can replicate the characteristics, morphology, and functionality of the original tumor in the human body. At present, organoid technology has been widely used in various oncologic contexts, including colorectal, liver, lung, pancreatic, and breast cancers, providing considerable assistance in patient-specific drug testing, precision medicine, and the development of personalized medical strategies. Therefore, this preclinical model contributes to significantly accelerating the translation from basic cancer research to clinical therapeutics. This review discusses the preparation of cancer organoids and their recent progress in multiple cancer research fields. Finally, the challenges of organoid technology in current clinical practice and future development prospects are discussed.