Anticancer agents are therapeutic substances used to treat malignant disease by killing cancer cells or by inhibiting their proliferation, survival, and spread. They encompass several mechanistically distinct classes. Conventional cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, including alkylating agents, antimetabolites, plant-deriv…
Anticancer agents are therapeutic substances used to treat malignant disease by killing cancer cells or by inhibiting their proliferation, survival, and spread. They encompass several mechanistically distinct classes. Conventional cytotoxic chemotherapeutics, including alkylating agents, antimetabolites, plant-derived compounds such as taxanes and vinca alkaloids, and topoisomerase inhibitors, act broadly on dividing cells by damaging DNA or disrupting cell division. Targeted agents, including small-molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies such as trastuzumab directed against the HER2 receptor, interfere with specific molecular pathways that drive tumour growth, offering greater selectivity for malignant cells. Immunotherapeutic agents harness or modulate the immune system to recognise and destroy tumours, while hormonal therapies target endocrine-dependent cancers. Drug delivery is itself an active area, with nanomedicine and stimulus-responsive carriers such as pH-sensitive systems designed to concentrate agents within tumour tissue and limit off-target exposure. The central pharmacological challenge is achieving a favourable therapeutic index, since many agents affect normal proliferating tissues and can produce significant toxicity, and since tumours may develop resistance. Research on anticancer agents spans discovery of new bioactive molecules from natural and synthetic sources, mechanism of action, combination strategies, resistance, and approaches to improve selectivity, efficacy, and safety across human and comparative oncology.
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