Plant Products and Their Use in Cancer Therapy

Abstract Cancer, a leading global health challenge with over 2 million projected U.S. cases in 2025 primarily affecting breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal tissues, drives uncontrolled cell proliferation through dysregulated pathways. Plant-derived compounds including FDA-approved taxanes, vinca alkaloids, camptothecins, and emerging polyphenols (curcumin, resveratrol, EGCG), alkaloids, and terpenes exhibit multifaceted anticancer activity via apoptosis induction, ferroptosis, autophagy, cell cycle arrest, anti-angiogenesis, and metastasis inhibition targeting Wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/Akt, and NF-κB signaling. Polyherbal formulations from Traditional Chinese Medicine (Jianpi Bushen) and Ayurveda (Kanchnar guggulu, Habb-e-Ustukhuddus) demonstrate clinical superiority in phase III trials, enhancing chemotherapy completion, reducing toxicity and improving quality of life through synergistic multi-target effects validated by reverse pharmacology. 2025 trends integrate herbal therapies with precision oncology, AI-driven personalization, CAR-T immunotherapy, bispecific antibodies, radiopharmaceuticals and multi-omics profiling, fostering evidence-based integrative frameworks that mitigate resistance and optimize outcomes. This comprehensive synthesis bridges traditional wisdom with modern science, highlighting herbal oncology's transformative potential. Keywords Herbal anticancer agents, Polyherbal formulations, Phytochemical mechanisms, Precision medicine trends, Apoptosis ferroptosis