Ovcharenko Dmitriy, Mukhin Dmitry, Ovcharenko Galina
Altogen Labs, 11200 Menchaca Road, Austin, TX 78748, USA.
Pharmaceutics. 2024 Sep 23;16(9):1237. doi: 10.3390/pharmaceutics16091237.
Cancer remains a leading cause of death globally. Cancer patients often seek alternative therapies in addition to, or instead of, conventional treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. The progress in medical advancements and early detection provides more treatment options; however, the development of cancer drugs requires a significant amount of time, demands substantial investments, and results in an overall low percent of regulatory approval. The complex relationship between patent protection and pharmaceutical innovation complicates cancer drug development and contributes to high mortality rates. Adjusting patent criteria for alternative cancer therapeutics could stimulate innovation, enhance treatment options, and ultimately improve outcomes for cancer patients. This article explores the potential of alternative cancer therapeutics, chemopreventive agents, natural products, off-patent drugs, generic unpatentable chemicals, and repurposed drugs in cancer treatment, emphasizing the mechanisms and therapeutic potential of these unconventional compounds as combinatorial cancer therapies. The biological pathways, therapeutic effects, and potential to enhance existing therapies are reviewed, demonstrating their cost-effective and accessible options as adjuvant cancer therapies.
癌症仍是全球主要死因。癌症患者除了常规治疗如化疗、放疗和手术之外，常常还寻求替代疗法，或用其取代常规治疗。医学进步和早期检测方面的进展提供了更多治疗选择；然而，癌症药物的研发需要大量时间，要求巨额投资，且监管批准的总体比例较低。专利保护与药物创新之间的复杂关系使癌症药物研发变得复杂，并导致高死亡率。调整替代癌症疗法的专利标准可刺激创新，增加治疗选择，并最终改善癌症患者的治疗效果。本文探讨了替代癌症疗法、化学预防剂、天然产物、非专利药物、通用不可专利化学品以及重新利用药物在癌症治疗中的潜力，强调了这些非常规化合物作为联合癌症疗法的作用机制和治疗潜力。对生物途径、治疗效果以及增强现有疗法的潜力进行了综述，证明了它们作为辅助癌症疗法具有成本效益且易于获得的特点。
