癌症作为一种复杂的疾病，对科学和医学界提出了重大挑战。肽治疗在包括癌症治疗在内的不同医学实践中发挥了重要作用。本综述介绍了抗癌肽（ACP）的现状和潜在发展前景，特别关注了用于癌症治疗的肽疫苗和肽药物结合物。ACP可以直接用作细胞毒性药物（分子靶向肽），也可以通过特异性靶向癌细胞作为载体（导引导弹）来运载化疗药物和放射性核素。在美国和其他主要市场，已批准使用60多种天然和合成阳离子肽治疗癌症和其他疾病。与传统的癌症治疗相比，肽具有高度特异性的抗癌活性，能够迅速杀死目标癌细胞。 ACP通过多种机制以及通过破坏细胞膜，形成孔道，诱导细胞凋亡，坏死，自噬以及调节免疫系统来靶向和杀死癌细胞。已开发出改性肽用作药物、疫苗和肽药物结合物的载体，并在各个临床试验阶段评估其治疗不同类型的实体肿瘤和白血病的效果。本综述强调了抗癌肽作为一种有前途的癌症治疗选择的潜力，特别是通过使用肽疫苗和肽药物结合物。尽管肽具有代谢稳定性差和生物利用度低的局限性，但改良肽在解决这些挑战方面显示出希望。抗癌肽的各种作用机制包括：通过细胞色素c释放诱导细胞凋亡、直接细胞膜溶解（坏死）、抑制血管生成、诱导自噬介导的细胞死亡和调节免疫细胞。©2023. 作者，独家许可给Springer-Verlag GmbH德国，Springer Nature的一部分。

Cancer, being a complex disease, presents a major challenge for the scientific and medical communities. Peptide therapeutics have played a significant role in different medical practices, including cancer treatment.This review provides an overview of the current situation and potential development prospects of anticancer peptides (ACPs), with a particular focus on peptide vaccines and peptide-drug conjugates for cancer treatment.ACPs can be used directly as cytotoxic agents (molecularly targeted peptides) or can act as carriers (guiding missile) of chemotherapeutic agents and radionuclides by specifically targeting cancer cells. More than 60 natural and synthetic cationic peptides are approved in the USA and other major markets for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Compared to traditional cancer treatments, peptides exhibit anticancer activity with high specificity and the ability to rapidly kill target cancer cells. ACP's target and kill cancer cells via different mechanisms, including membrane disruption, pore formation, induction of apoptosis, necrosis, autophagy, and regulation of the immune system. Modified peptides have been developed as carriers for drugs, vaccines, and peptide-drug conjugates, which have been evaluated in various phases of clinical trials for the treatment of different types of solid and leukemia cancer.This review highlights the potential of ACPs as a promising therapeutic option for cancer treatment, particularly through the use of peptide vaccines and peptide-drug conjugates. Despite the limitations of peptides, such as poor metabolic stability and low bioavailability, modified peptides show promise in addressing these challenges. Various mechanism of action of anticancer peptides. Modes of action against cancer cells including: inducing apoptosis by cytochrome c release, direct cell membrane lysis (necrosis), inhibiting angiogenesis, inducing autophagy-mediated cell death and immune cell regulation.© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.