Anticancer Phytochemicals in Bladder Cancer (Recent Trends)

Bladder cancer continues to be a significant source of healthcare expenditure and morbidity globally, mostly due to the elevated recurrence rates of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) and the restricted longevity of the existing treatments. Phytochemicals are bioactive small molecules derived from plants, that are increasingly recognized for their potential as chemotherapy preventers and therapeutic adjuvants targeting many hallmarks of urothelial carcinogenesis, such as inflammation, oxidative stress, cell-cycle control, apoptosis, and epigenetic regulation. Advancements in pharmacologic formulation, particularly in delivery methods and intravesical nano-hydrogel, have enhanced translational feasibility by surmounting pharmacokinetic obstacles. This chapter summarizes the most recent findings on important families of phytochemicals, such as curcuminoids, stilbenes, catechins, flavonoids, isothiocyanates, and alkaloids. It also talks about developments in preclinical and clinical settings, molecular mechanisms, and translational hurdles. New molecular findings, such how resveratrol causes ferroptosis and how curcumin works with Bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG), show that phytochemicals could be useful in biomarker-driven clinical settings. This chapter ends with a safety concern, a talk about new ways to distribute drugs, and some strategic priorities for clinical translation.