ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2022
Use of Melatonin in Cancer Treatment: Where Are We?
Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 47 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
47 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Melatonin in glioblastoma therapy: clinical promise and mechanistic insights from bench to bedside.Neurosurgical review · 2026Pooled it
- Efficacy of Melatonin in Alleviating Radiotherapy-Induced Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression in Breast Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled 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
- Agomelatine versus gefitinib against HepG2 cells: Modulating PI3K/AKT and MAPK/RAF1/c-FOS pathways.Molecular biology reports · 2026Article
- Tasimelteon inhibits glioma proliferation by inducing ferroptosis via the SP1/ACSL4 pathway.Cellular oncology (Dordrecht, Netherlands) · 2026Article
- 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
- Melatonin inhibits malignant biological behaviors in carboplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells: elucidating the potential molecular mechanisms.Molecular biology reports · 2026Article
- Melatonin at the Crossroads of Oxidative Stress, Immunity, and Cancer Therapy.Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Melatonin in Integrative Oncology: Biological Mechanisms, Therapeutic Evidence and Implementation Strategies.Oncology research · 2026Review
- Therapeutic and chemopreventive potential of melatonin in liver diseases: targeting oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling.Frontiers in pharmacology · 2026Review
- Melatonin in the Treatment of Female Infertility: Update on Biological and Clinical Findings.Biomedicines · 2025Article
- Melatonin/Chitosan Biomaterials for Wound Healing and Beyond: A Multifunctional Therapeutic Approach.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Multifaceted roles of melatonin in oncology: an insight into its therapeutic potential in cancer management.Inflammopharmacology · 2025Review
- The Complexity of Malignant Glioma Treatment.Cancers · 2025Review
- Melatonin for gastric cancer treatment: where do we stand?Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Review
- Prooxidant state in anticancer drugs and prospect use of mitochondrial cofactors and anti-inflammatory agents in cancer prevention.Inflammopharmacology · 2025Review
- Progress in understanding how clock genes regulate aging and associated metabolic processes.Frontiers in physiology · 2025Review
- Cancer patient-derived organoids: Novel models for the study of natural products.International journal of biological sciences · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Cancer represents a large group of diseases accounting for nearly 10 million deaths each year. Various treatment strategies, including surgical resection combined with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy, have been applied for cancer treatment. However, the outcomes remain largely unsatisfying. Melatonin, as an endogenous hormone, is associated with the circadian rhythm moderation. Many physiological functions of melatonin besides sleep-wake cycle control have been identified, such as antioxidant, immunomodulation, and anti-inflammation. In recent years, an increasing number of studies have described the anticancer effects of melatonin. This has drawn our attention to the potential usage of melatonin for cancer treatment in the clinical setting, although huge obstacles still exist before its wide clinical administration is accepted. The exact mechanisms behind its anticancer effects remain unclear, and the specific characters impede its in vivo investigation. In this review, we will summarize the latest advances in melatonin studies, including its chemical properties, the possible mechanisms for its anticancer effects, and the ongoing clinical trials. Importantly, challenges for the clinical application of melatonin will be discussed, accompanied with our perspectives on its future development. Finally, obstacles and perspectives of using melatonin for cancer treatment will be proposed. The present article will provide a comprehensive foundation for applying melatonin as a preventive and therapeutic agent for cancer treatment.
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.