Conventional therapies for malignant tumors have limitations and disadvantages. In recent years, the cancer starvation therapy has emerged which intends to deprive cancer cells of nutritional supply. There are several approaches to"starve" cancer cells: to intervene tumor angiogenesis by targeted inhibition of angiogenic factors or their receptors and integrins; to block the blood supply of cancer cells by embolizing or compressing blood vessels; to intervene metabolic process of cancer cells by inhibition of the signal pathways of mitochondrial serine-glycine-one earbon metabolism, glycolysis and amino acid metabolism; cancer starvation therapy can be employed with oxidation therapy, chemotherapy, sonodynamic therapy, anti-autophagy therapy or other therapies to achieve synergistic effects. This article reviews the research progress of cancer starvation therapy in recent years and discusses the existing problems.
Keywords: Anti-angiogenesis; Neoplasms; Review; Starvation therapy; Synergistic therapy; Tumor metabolism.