Biopharmaceuticals for Cancer Treatment: An Update

Cancer is one of the most debilitating diseases, causing profound physical and psychological impacts on patients. The global number of cancer patients has been steadily rising over the last few decades. The development of effective cancer therapies remains the primary focus in life science research, requiring a precise understanding of specific pathways and the regulation of tumor markers. The approved cancer therapies demonstrate effectiveness by acting on specific regulatory enzymes, components required for cell division, hormones, and cell-specific receptors, etc. While small-molecule drugs continue to dominate the market of cancer treatments, there has been a significant increase in the approval of biopharmaceutical drugs in recent years. These approved biopharmaceuticals are expanding the treatment options and extending the lives of millions of cancer patients. In this review, we explored the potential targets for developing anticancer drugs and discussed the application of approved anticancer biopharmaceutical drugs with current challenges and future perspectives.