Curcumin: A therapeutic phytochemical in multi-target hallmarks of cancer

Cancer remains a major global health challenge due to its complex molecular heterogeneity, therapeutic resistance, and severe treatment-associated toxicities. In recent years, increasing attention has been directed toward natural bioactive compounds as complementary or alternative anticancer agents. Curcumin, a polyphenolic compound derived from Curcuma longa, has emerged as a promising multi-targeted phytochemical with broad anticancer potential.

This review aims to comprehensively summarize the chemical, molecular, pharmacological, and computational insights into curcumin's anticancer mechanisms and to evaluate its potential role in modern precision oncology.

Extensive preclinical and computational studies demonstrate that curcumin modulates multiple oncogenic pathways involved in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. Curcumin regulates key transcription factors such as NF-κB and STAT3, induces apoptosis through both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways, and suppresses angiogenesis and tumor invasion. However, its clinical translation has been limited by poor bioavailability and rapid systemic elimination. Recent advances in nanotechnology, targeted delivery systems, and computational modelling offer promising strategies to overcome these limitations.

This review highlights that curcumin demonstrates strong mechanistic and preclinical activity across multiple cancer hallmarks, but its translational relevance remains uneven and strongly dependent on formulation, delivery strategy, and cancer context. By integrating hallmark biology with computational oncology, systems-level analysis, and translational nanomedicine, this review provides a more structured and contemporary phytomedicine-based perspective for cancer therapy.