Evidence mapPaperPMID 41014361Full record

SynthesisCancer chemotherapy and pharmacology2025

Non-oncologic to oncologic drug: A systematic review of drug repurposing in cancer.

Yarava Dhanush, Vakkalagadda Siva Ganesh

Abstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Cancer chemotherapy and pharmacology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. FrombioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

2 authors.

Yarava DhanushDepartment of Pharmacology, Sri Adichunchanagiri College of Pharmacy, Adichunchanagiri University, BG Nagara, Karnataka, 571448, India.
Vakkalagadda Siva GaneshDepartment of Pharmacology, Sri Adichunchanagiri College of Pharmacy, Adichunchanagiri University, BG Nagara, Karnataka, 571448, India. ganesh.cology@gmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis systematic review investigates drug repurposing as a strategy to accelerate and improve cancer treatment by specifically examining how existing medications can effectively target the established hallmarks of cancer. The research explores how repurposed drugs can address the challenges of conventional cancer drug development, including high costs, lengthy development timelines, and frequent clinical failures.

methodsThe review systematically analyzes repurposed drugs with their ability to target specific cancer hallmarks, including oncogenic signaling pathways, cell death regulation, metabolic reprogramming, growth suppressor reactivation, phenotypic plasticity, antitumor immunity, telomerase activity, angiogenesis, inflammation, cellular senescence, invasion and metastasis, DNA damage response, microbiome modulation, and epigenetic regulation.

resultsThe analysis identified several promising repurposed medications targeting specific cancer hallmarks: artemisinin derivatives for oncogenic signalling, niclosamide for cell death pathways, leflunomide for metabolic dysregulation, statins for tumour suppressor reactivation, metformin for phenotypic plasticity, liothyronine for immune activation, PARP inhibitors for replication, itraconazole for angiogenesis, celecoxib for inflammation, BCL-2 inhibitors for senescence, fluoroquinolones for metastasis, spironolactone for DNA damage, isoliquiritigenin for microbiome modulation, and various agents targeting non-mutational epigenetic regulation.

conclusionDrug repurposing represents an intriguing approach for addressing the limitations of traditional cancer drug development while effectively targeting the fundamental hallmarks of cancer. By leveraging existing medications with established safety profiles, this strategy offers potential for more rapid translation to clinical applications and may enhance the therapeutic arsenal against various cancer types.

Indexed as

Antineoplastic AgentsDrug RepositioningNeoplasmsAnimalsHumansAntineoplastic AgentsAnti-neoplastic mechanismsCancer hallmarksDrug repurposingOncopharmacologySignalling pathwaysTherapeutic resistanceTumour microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID41014361

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.