About 10 million people are diagnosed with cancer each year. Globally, it is the second leading cause of death after heart disease, and by 2035, the death toll could reach 14.6 million. Several drugs and treatments are available to treat cancer, but survival rates remain low. Many studies in recent years have shown that plant-derived monoterpenes, particularly geraniol and citral, are effective against various cancers, including breast, liver, melanoma, endometrial, colon, prostate, and skin cancers. This trend has opened new possibilities for the development of new therapeutics or adjuvants in the field of cancer therapy. These monoterpenes can improve the efficacy of chemotherapy by modulating many signaling molecules and pathways within tumors. Analysis of reports on the anticancer effects published in the past 5 years provided an overview of the most important results of these and related properties. Also, the molecular mechanisms by which they exert their anticancer effects in cell and animal studies have been explained. Therefore, this review aims to highlight the scope of geraniol and citral as complementary or alternative treatment options in cancer therapy.

中文翻译：

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香叶醇和柠檬醛：其抗癌功效的最新进展为补充癌症治疗开辟了新前景

每年约有 1000 万人被诊断患有癌症。在全球范围内，它是仅次于心脏病的第二大死因，到 2035 年，死亡人数可能达到 1460 万人。有多种药物和治疗方法可用于治疗癌症，但存活率仍然很低。近年来的许多研究表明，植物来源的单萜，特别是香叶醇和柠檬醛，可有效对抗多种癌症，包括乳腺癌、肝癌、黑色素瘤、子宫内膜癌、结肠癌、前列腺癌和皮肤癌。这一趋势为癌症治疗领域新疗法或佐剂的开发开辟了新的可能性。这些单萜可以通过调节肿瘤内的许多信号分子和途径来提高化疗的疗效。对过去 5 年发表的抗癌作用报告的分析概述了这些及相关特性的最重要结果。此外，它们在细胞和动物研究中发挥抗癌作用的分子机制也已得到解释。因此，本综述旨在强调香叶醇和柠檬醛作为癌症治疗中的补充或替代治疗选择的范围。