Current Evidence and Future Perspectives About Herbal Therapeutics for Cancer Therapy

Cancer leads to dynamic alterations in the genome and causes millions of deaths worldwide. It has become a major health concern in the past decades and is now with uncontrolled cell growth and proliferation. Although there are different types of therapeutics against cancer with their pros and cons. Herbal products are used as an alternative therapy due to their anticarcinogenic and chemoprotective potentials. Natural antioxidants and phytopharmaceuticals might exert cancer chemopreventive effects through several mechanisms. Two evidently contradictory and virtually supportive therapeutic approaches for the ROS (reactive oxygen species) induced cancer involve chemoprevention by employing antioxidants and ROS-mediated anticancer therapy. Translation of such products into clinical practice remains difficult due to their limited bioavailability and/or toxicity. Bioavailability and concentration around tumor tissues can be improved with alternate therapeutic modalities and novel delivery approaches. Great progress had been made in the identification and explorative analysis of natural chemopreventive agents using modern analytical tools. This chapter aims to outline the current perspectives of herbal therapeutics for the treatment of ROS-induced cancer. In addition to the above, the chapter will also extend to the prospects with an elaborative guide for natural product researchers to carry out systematic studies and research in preventing and treating cancer.