Despite continued research efforts and expense, cancer remains an aggressive killer and is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, representing one of the biggest health-care issues for the human race. During the last decade, novel synthetic anticancer agents in current clinical use have not been as successful as expected in defending against cancer. Cancer is comprised of a group of various diseases and involves uncontrolled multiplication and division of abnormal cells which can form malignant growths and divert signaling pathways. Treatment of cancer cells with synthetic chemotherapeutic drugs, which have their own intrinsic adverse effects, affects the regulatory functions of noncancerous cells as well. Toxicities such as myelotoxicity, cardiotoxicity, nephrotoxicity, pulmonary toxicity, cutaneous toxicity, and vasospasticity have been well documented as the major adverse reactions for common anticancer drugs such as 5-fluorouracil, doxorubicin, and bleomycin. There is therefore a need to develop new, effective, safer, and more affordable anticancer drugs from alternative sources.

Plant products as a replacement for synthetic chemopreventive agents may provide a valuable approach for developing novel chemical entities to defend against cancer through the potential of bioactive plant secondary metabolites, many of which—such as vinblastine, vincristine, taxol, and camptothecin—have already been highlighted as having potential antitumor properties. There is also increasing evidence for the potential of plant-derived compounds to act as inhibitors of various stages of tumorigenesis and associated inflammatory processes, underlining the importance of these products in cancer prevention. In addition to this, phytochemicals are considered as suitable candidates for anticancer drug development due to their pleiotropic actions on target sites with multiple outcomes. Research into plant products may, therefore, contribute to the development of effective and novel alternative therapeutics in the search for safer, eco-friendly, low-cost, fast, and cancer treatment drugs.

This special issue aims to collect original research and review articles regarding research into plant-derived drugs in cancer prevention.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Prospects and paradigms of plant-based drugs-mediated cancer treatment
• Ways and options to modulate the signaling pathways by plants
• Drug-receptor interaction efficiencies in anticancer drug discovery
• Biomarkers targeted for plant-derived anticancer drug development
• Cell-line studies in developing cancer treatments
• Functional foods for suppressing cancer cells
• Alternative plant-based therapies to cure various cancers
• Intercontinental variations in alternative therapies for cancer prevention