The Use of Plant Extracts as Potential Cancer Agents

Abstract

The number of people with cancer and death rates are constantly increasing in the world. Although surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy are still the most preferred methods, they have inadequacies, limited efficacy, and side effects. Therefore, development of new treatment methods has gained importance. Natural products were used for medical and therapeutic purposes in ancient times and are still used today. While some naturally derived molecules have already been shown to be effective against cancer, studies are ongoing for many natural molecules as cancer therapeutics. There are still many plant species and compounds whose effectiveness has not yet been discovered in the world. Therefore, identifying potential natural compounds that can be used in cancer treatment, demonstrating their effects on different types of cancer, and elucidating their mechanisms of action will lead to the discovery of new natural compound-derived drugs and overcome the existing difficulties of cancer.