Natural marine anticancer compounds and their derivatives used in clinical trials

Cancer remains a global challenge for clinicians and researchers alike, with an increasing mortality rate. Despite enormous progress in anticancer drug discovery, there is a constant demand for novel therapeutic agents due to resistance to existing chemotherapeutic drugs and their adverse side effects. Natural anticancer drugs have been shown to be both effective and safe in the treatment of cancer. Over 70% of the earth's surface and 95% of its tropical biosphere are covered by the oceans. 50% of the Earth's biodiversity, or 34 out of the 36 phyla, is made up of marine organisms. The majority of oceanic organisms are members of the marine flora, which also includes sponges, seaweed, algae, cyanobacteria, and marine fungi. These marine sources have created a significant opportunity for the discovery of novel anticancer compounds due to their taxonomically diverse and biological characteristics. Numerous marine compounds with potent anticancer properties have recently been identified, and clinical studies have demonstrated their effectiveness. The majority of them are sulfated polysaccharides and polyphenols, which are renowned for their powerful antioxidant, antitumor. Thus, the current chapter focuses on natural anticancer compounds and their derivatives that are undergoing clinical trials.