Mining parasites for their potential as novel therapeutic agents against cancer

Despite recent advances in the management and therapeutic of cancer, the treatment of the disease is limited by its high cost and severe side effects. In this scenario, there is an unmet need to identify novel treatment alternatives for this dreaded disease. Recently there is growing evidence that parasites may cause anticancer effects because of a negative correlation between parasitic infections and tumour growth despite some parasites that are known to exhibit pro-carcinogenic effects. It has been observed that parasites exert an anticancer effect either by activating the host's immune response or by secreting certain molecules that exhibit anticancer potential. The activation of the immune response by these parasitic organisms results in the inhibition of some of the hallmarks of cancer such as tumour proliferation, angiogenesis, and metastasis. This review summarizes the current advances as well as the mechanisms underlying the possible implications of this diverse group of organisms as anticancer agents.