Targeting inflammation in cancer therapy: from mechanistic insights to emerging therapeutic approaches

Inflammation is a complex and finely tuned component of the host defense mechanism, responding sensitively to a range of physical, chemical, and biological stressors. Current research is advancing our grasp of both cellular and molecular mechanisms that initiate and regulate interactions within inflammatory pathways. Substantial evidence now indicates a profound link between inflammation, innate immunity, and cancer. Dysregulation of inflammatory pathways is known to be a pivotal factor in the induction, growth, and metastasis of tumors through multiple mechanistic pathways. Basically, the tumor microenvironment (TME), characterized by dynamic interplay between cancerous cells and surrounding inflammatory and stromal cells, plays a central role in these processes. Increasingly, controlled acute inflammation is being explored as a promising therapeutic tool in certain types of cancer. However, inflammatory cells in the TME exhibit remarkable plasticity, with shifting phenotypic and functional roles that facilitate cancer cell survival, proliferation, and migration, especially under chronic inflammatory conditions. Additionally, signaling molecules associated with the innate immune system, like chemokines, are co-opted by malignant cells to support invasion, migration, and metastasis. These findings underscore the need for deeper insights into the mechanisms connecting inflammation to cancer pathology, which could pave the way for innovative diagnostic approaches and targeted anti-inflammatory therapies to counter tumor development. The current review underlines the critical involvement of inflammation in cancer development, examining the connection between the immune system, key inflammatory mediators, biomarkers, and their associated pathways in cancer. We also discuss the impact of inflammation-targeted therapies on anticancer signaling pathways. Furthermore, we review major anti-inflammatory drugs with potential applications in oncology, assessing how inflammation is modulated in cancer management. Lastly, we outline an overview of ongoing discoveries in the field, highlighting both the challenges and the therapeutic promise of targeting inflammation in cancer therapy.