Exploring the potential of chromone scaffold compounds in cancer therapy: targeting key kinase pathways

Cancer continues to be one of the leading causes of death worldwide, with an estimated 28.4 million new cases expected by 2040. Despite the efforts to treat cancer, the current therapeutic options are limited to adjuvant and neoadjuvant chemotherapy with limited alternative therapies. The discovery of chromone scaffold compounds exhibiting promising anticancer activity has led to increased research and clinical trials in recent years. This review aims to provide an overview of the current progress and exciting developments in using chromone scaffold in cancer therapy through inhibiting key kinase pathways, including MAPK, PI3K/Akt/mTOR, CDKs and DNA-dependent protein kinase subunit. In addition, this review highlights the potential of chromone scaffold in the fight against cancer and provides insight into future directions for developing chromone-based therapies.