Background: With a significant increase in both incidence and mortality, oral cancer—particularly oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC)—is one of the main causes of death in developing countries. Even though there is evidence of advances in surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, the overall survival rate for patients with OSCC has improved, but by a small percentage. This may be due, on the one hand, to the fact that the disease is diagnosed when it is at a too-advanced stage, when metastases are already present. Methods: This review explores the therapeutic potential of natural herbal products and their use as adjuvant therapies in the treatment of oral cancer from online sources in databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Research Gate, Scopus, Elsevier). Results: Even if classic therapies are known to be effective, they often produce many serious side effects and can create resistance. Certain natural plant compounds may offer a complementary approach by inducing apoptosis, suppressing tumor growth, and improving chemotherapy effectiveness. The integration of these compounds with conventional treatments to obtain remarkable synergistic effects represents a major point of interest to many authors. This review highlights the study of molecular mechanisms and their efficiency in in vitro and in vivo models, as well as the strategic ways in which drugs can be administered to optimize their use in real contexts. Conclusions: This review may have a significant impact on the oncology community, creating new inspirations for the development of more effective, safer cancer therapies with less toxic potential.
背景：随着发病率和死亡率显著上升，口腔癌——尤其是口腔鳞状细胞癌（OSCC）——已成为发展中国家的主要死亡原因之一。尽管手术、化疗和放疗技术已有明显进步，OSCC患者的总体生存率有所提高，但改善幅度有限。这可能一方面是由于疾病确诊时已处于晚期，且已出现转移。方法：本综述通过检索数据库（PubMed、Web of Science、Google Scholar、Research Gate、Scopus、Elsevier）中的在线资源，探讨天然草本产物的治疗潜力及其作为辅助疗法在口腔癌治疗中的应用。结果：尽管传统疗法已知有效，但常产生诸多严重副作用并可能引发耐药性。某些天然植物化合物可通过诱导细胞凋亡、抑制肿瘤生长及增强化疗效果提供补充治疗途径。将这些化合物与传统疗法结合以获得显著协同效应，已成为众多学者关注的重点。本综述着重探讨了分子机制研究及其在体外和体内模型中的有效性，以及为优化实际临床应用而设计的药物递送策略。结论：本综述可能对肿瘤学界产生重要影响，为开发更有效、更安全且毒性更低的癌症疗法提供新的思路。
Molecular Targets of Plant-Derived Bioactive Compounds in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家