Cancer remains a leading cause of death globally. Cancer patients often seek alternative therapies in addition to, or instead of, conventional treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. The progress in medical advancements and early detection provides more treatment options; however, the development of cancer drugs requires a significant amount of time, demands substantial investments, and results in an overall low percent of regulatory approval. The complex relationship between patent protection and pharmaceutical innovation complicates cancer drug development and contributes to high mortality rates. Adjusting patent criteria for alternative cancer therapeutics could stimulate innovation, enhance treatment options, and ultimately improve outcomes for cancer patients. This article explores the potential of alternative cancer therapeutics, chemopreventive agents, natural products, off-patent drugs, generic unpatentable chemicals, and repurposed drugs in cancer treatment, emphasizing the mechanisms and therapeutic potential of these unconventional compounds as combinatorial cancer therapies. The biological pathways, therapeutic effects, and potential to enhance existing therapies are reviewed, demonstrating their cost-effective and accessible options as adjuvant cancer therapies.

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替代癌症治疗：未申请专利的化合物及其在肿瘤学中的潜力


癌症仍然是全球死亡的主要原因。癌症患者经常寻求替代疗法来补充或代替化疗、放疗和手术等常规治疗。医学进步和早期检测的进步提供了更多的治疗选择；然而，抗癌药物的开发需要大量时间，需要大量投资，并且总体上监管批准率较低。专利保护和药物创新之间的复杂关系使癌症药物的开发变得复杂，并导致高死亡率。调整替代癌症疗法的专利标准可以刺激创新，增强治疗选择，并最终改善癌症患者的治疗结果。本文探讨了替代癌症疗法、化学预防剂、天然产物、非专利药物、非专利化学物质和再利用药物在癌症治疗中的潜力，强调了这些非常规化合物作为组合癌症疗法的机制和治疗潜力。回顾了生物学途径、治疗效果和增强现有疗法的潜力，证明了它们作为辅助癌症疗法的经济有效且易于使用的选择。