ABSTRACT
Cancer is among the world’s most severe health concerns, with escalating prevalence. Though there has been remarkable evolvement in the treatment and management of cancer growth, there are still flaws and space for improvements. The need for cytotoxic agents is still an important field of research in the development of current anticancer medications. Many novel marketed cancer treatments have been either derived from natural sources, through structural alteration of native compounds, or by the synthesis of new compounds based on a natural component as a model. Exploration and harnessing nature, particularly for the discovery of new anticancer medicines, is a boon in the search for new and better pharmaceuticals. Herbs continue to be an important source of many clinically effective anticancer drugs used around the world, and many of them have been identified and are in clinical trials. The current chapter covers the most recent findings in cancer prevention and treatment using phytochemical constituents from plant sources, with a focus on plant-derived organic chemicals that have shown great potential as anticancer agents in recent years, with their respective mechanism of action, development challenges and opportunities.
