Preface

Research on medicinal plants is one of the most important areas in oncology with high potential in the design and development of cost-effective drugs. Natural products in the treatment of diseases have been practiced since ancient times. Cancer chemoprevention is a broad term that uses synthetic and natural compounds to slow down, suppress or reverse carcinogenesis. The onset of cancer depends on various factors such as intrinsic and extrinsic. Natural therapies, such as the use of plant-derived products and medicinal plant extracts in cancer treatment, may reduce the adverse side effects of conventional treatments. The cancer control measures are related to the origin and risk factors. Every cancer type needs specialized therapy, and the most important treatment goal is to eradicate tumour and prolong the patients’ lifespan. Alternative therapies have been playing a crucial role in cancer treatment and management. Several studies reported that medicinal plants and bioactive compounds from plants can work well as an alternative cancer treatment option for different types of cancers due to fewer side effects and cost-effectiveness compared to many existing treatments. Phytochemicals from medicinal plants were reported to reduce various risk factors associated with cancer through their chemopreventive action. This book highlights the role of bioactive compounds and dietary factors or natural products from plants or medicinal plant extracts in the chemoprevention of various types of cancer. Since the role of antioxidants in chemoprevention is unavoidable, an insight into plant-based antioxidant compounds that fight against cancer is also discussed in this book. Medicinal plants, bioactive compounds derived from marine sources, and the role of antioxidants in cancer therapy and chemoprevention, and molecular mechanisms in clinical trials are included in this book. This will fill the research gap in search of chemopreventive natural compounds and encourage researchers to produce anticancer agents from plants in clinical trials.