癌症是全球卫生领域面临的重大挑战，预测未来几年癌症的流行率将增加，主要原因是预防有限、诊断迟缓以及现有治疗方法的不足。此外，新型抗癌药物的高昂价格使得满足癌症患者的医疗需求变得困难，尤其是在发展中国家。长期且昂贵的新药研发过程也对药物发现和临床实施造成了阻碍。因此，越来越多的人开始对已批准用于其他疾病的药物进行重新应用，以应对癌症治疗的紧迫需求。本综述的目的是概述已批准的非肿瘤药物作为癌症治疗选择的潜力。这些药物来自于抗疟药、抗生素、抗病毒药、抗炎药和抗真菌药等不同的化疗类别，并且已经展示出明显的抑制细胞增殖、促进细胞凋亡、免疫调节以及抑制转移的特性。我们进行了文献系统评述以确定关于将已批准的非肿瘤药物重新应用于癌症治疗的相关研究。通过使用合适的关键词，我们搜索了PubMed、Scopus和Google Scholar等各种电子数据库。分析中包括了关于重新应用药物在癌症治疗中的潜力、作用机制、疗效和临床前景的研究。综述凸显了将已批准的非肿瘤药物重新应用于癌症治疗的有希望的结果。不同治疗类别的药物都展示了显著的抗肿瘤效果，包括抑制细胞增殖、促进细胞凋亡、调节免疫应答以及抑制转移等。这些发现表明这些重新应用的药物具有作为癌症治疗有效方法的潜力。重新应用已批准的非肿瘤药物为解决癌症治疗的紧迫需求提供了有希望的策略。不同类别的重新应用药物具有抗增殖、促凋亡、免疫调节以及抗转移等特性，为癌症治疗提供了新的途径。进一步的研究和临床试验将有必要探索这些重新应用药物的全部潜力，以及在治疗各种癌症类型中优化其使用。重新应用已批准的药物可以显著加快确认有效治疗方法并以具有成本效益的方式改善患者预后的进程。© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.

Cancer poses a significant global health challenge, with predictions of increasing prevalence in the coming years due to limited prevention, late diagnosis, and inadequate success with current therapies. In addition, the high cost of new anti-cancer drugs creates barriers in meeting the medical needs of cancer patients, especially in developing countries. The lengthy and costly process of developing novel drugs further hinders drug discovery and clinical implementation. Therefore, there has been a growing interest in repurposing approved drugs for other diseases to address the urgent need for effective cancer treatments. The aim of this comprehensive review is to provide an overview of the potential of approved non-oncology drugs as therapeutic options for cancer treatment. These drugs come from various chemotherapeutic classes, including antimalarials, antibiotics, antivirals, anti-inflammatory drugs, and antifungals, and have demonstrated significant antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, immunomodulatory, and antimetastatic properties. A systematic review of the literature was conducted to identify relevant studies on the repurposing of approved non-oncology drugs for cancer therapy. Various electronic databases, such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, were searched using appropriate keywords. Studies focusing on the therapeutic potential, mechanisms of action, efficacy, and clinical prospects of repurposed drugs in cancer treatment were included in the analysis. The review highlights the promising outcomes of repurposing approved non-oncology drugs for cancer therapy. Drugs belonging to different therapeutic classes have demonstrated notable antitumor effects, including inhibiting cell proliferation, promoting apoptosis, modulating the immune response, and suppressing metastasis. These findings suggest the potential of these repurposed drugs as effective therapeutic approaches in cancer treatment. Repurposing approved non-oncology drugs provides a promising strategy for addressing the urgent need for effective and accessible cancer treatments. The diverse classes of repurposed drugs, with their demonstrated antiproliferative, pro-apoptotic, immunomodulatory, and antimetastatic properties, offer new avenues for cancer therapy. Further research and clinical trials are warranted to explore the full potential of these repurposed drugs and optimize their use in treating various cancer types. Repurposing approved drugs can significantly expedite the process of identifying effective treatments and improve patient outcomes in a cost-effective manner.© 2023. BioMed Central Ltd., part of Springer Nature.