Targeting Cytoskeleton and Cell Motility: Past and Novel Strategies for Cancer Therapy

Cytoskeletal reorganization is fundamental to essential cellular processes, including shape maintenance, migration, adhesion cytokinesis, and phagocytosis, and its dysregulation is a hallmark of tumor progression. In cancer cells, altered cytoskeletal dynamics promote invasion and genomic instability resulting from mitotic defects. The actin and microtubule cytoskeletons are highly dynamic polymer networks that organize intracellular architecture, establish polarity, and generate the mechanical forces required for cell division and motility. Their dysregulation disrupts normal cell behavior and facilitates tumor invasion and metastasis. The cytoskeleton therefore represents a key source of potential therapeutic targets for inhibiting metastatic dissemination. This review focuses on recent anticancer strategies targeting cytoskeletal and motility-associated pathways, including microtubule-directed agents, actin-modulating compounds, inhibitors of focal adhesion signaling, modulators of intermediate filament dynamics, and regulators of cytoskeletal crosstalk. Collectively, these strategies underscore the central role of cytoskeleton in cancer progression and highlight its potential as a promising therapeutic target.