ReviewMolecules (Basel, Switzerland)2021
Melatonin in Cancer Treatment: Current Knowledge and Future Opportunities.
Review in Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 109 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
109 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 195 citations in OpenAlex.
- Melatonin in glioblastoma therapy: clinical promise and mechanistic insights from bench to bedside.Neurosurgical review · 2026Pooled it
- Influence of melatonin supplementation on cancer-related fatigue: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Clinical & translational oncology : official publication of the Federation of Spanish Oncology Societies and of the National Cancer Institute of Mexico · 2025Pooled it
- Targeting Side Effects Associated with Androgen Deprivation Therapy Using Melatonin: A Randomized Trial on Hot Flashes and Sexual Health in Prostate Cancer Patients.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2026Trial
- Association between circadian rhythm-related behaviors and breast cancer: a bidirectional Mendelian randomization study.Future science OA · 2026Article
- A selective low-dose cisplatin strategy enabled by melatonin and cannabinoids for targeting osteosarcoma and chondrosarcoma.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2026Article
- Circadian-Related Serotonin/Melatonin Level Modulates Cisplatin Ototoxicity Susceptibility Depended on NOS3-NO Pathway.Journal of pineal research · 2026Article
- Article
- Melatonin-selenium nanoformulation: a promising therapeutic strategy against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Repurposing melatonin for its potential roles in gastrointestinal cancers: highlighting the molecular mechanisms.Cancer cell international · 2026Review
- Melatonin and Selected Phytochemicals: A Promising Combination to Target Altered Metabolism in Cancer.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Radiomitigators: Breakthroughs in Post-Radiation Recovery.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Integrative Use of Cannabidiol, Melatonin, and Oxygen-Ozone Therapy in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer with Lung and Mediastinal Metastases. A Case Report.Reports (MDPI) · 2026Article
- Melatonin at the Crossroads of Oxidative Stress, Immunity, and Cancer Therapy.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Therapeutic and chemopreventive potential of melatonin in liver diseases: targeting oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Melatonin in Integrative Oncology: Biological Mechanisms, Therapeutic Evidence and Implementation Strategies.Oncology research · 2026Review
- Melatonin Supplementation Improves Pain, Sleep Quality, and Total Plasma Antioxidant Capacity in Women with Fibrocystic Breast Disease: A Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled Trial.Journal of research in pharmacy practice · 2026Article
- The association between activity patterns and malignant neoplasms of female genital organs: a prospective cohort study of UK biobank.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2026Article
- Article
- Melatoninergic Modulation of Benzene-Induced Pre-Leukemic Alterations in Rats: Effects of Melatonin, Agomelatine, and Luzindole : Short title: Melatoninergic Modulation in Benzene-Induced Pre-Leukemi.Galen medical journal · 2026Article
- Therapeutic Potential of Melatonin in Gastrointestinal Cancers: Molecular Mechanisms, Preclinical Evidence and Clinical Implications.Journal of pineal research · 2026Review
49 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Melatonin is a pleotropic molecule with numerous biological activities. Epidemiological and experimental studies have documented that melatonin could inhibit different types of cancer in vitro and in vivo. Results showed the involvement of melatonin in different anticancer mechanisms including apoptosis induction, cell proliferation inhibition, reduction in tumor growth and metastases, reduction in the side effects associated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy, decreasing drug resistance in cancer therapy, and augmentation of the therapeutic effects of conventional anticancer therapies. Clinical trials revealed that melatonin is an effective adjuvant drug to all conventional therapies. This review summarized melatonin biosynthesis, availability from natural sources, metabolism, bioavailability, anticancer mechanisms of melatonin, its use in clinical trials, and pharmaceutical formulation. Studies discussed in this review will provide a solid foundation for researchers and physicians to design and develop new therapies to treat and prevent cancer using melatonin.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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 OpenQuestion graph.