Progress in the synthesis and applications of FDA-approved anticancer drugs: Current trends and future perspectives

Cancer is the primary obstacle to increasing life expectancy worldwide in the 21st century. It is a big global public health condition that poses a substantial challenge. Considerable advancements have been made in anticancer drug development over recent decades, producing numerous new agents derived from both natural and synthetic sources. Both chemotherapy and small-molecule targeted treatment are considered to be two of the most fundamental techniques of treating cancer, both of which include chemical agents. This review aims to overview the structures, approval status, application and synthesis of FDA-approved anticancer drugs from 1997 to 2024. To encourage the production of new, efficient and applicable synthetic procedures, we seek to provide a thorough explanation of the synthetic approaches used to create these therapeutic compounds.