Cancer is a disease that causes a huge health burden for communities.
Despite the great progress made in diagnostic tools for cancer and the advancement of
treatment strategies, cancer is still one of the commonest causes of death in the world.
Melatonin, a hormone produced mainly by the pineal gland, possesses an anti-cancer
property. The discovery of this effect of melatonin on cancer cells was a breakthrough
in the field of cancer research. Several lines of evidence support this property of
melatonin, including in vitro and in vivo studies and clinical trials. This effect of
melatonin was examined in various types of cancer, and a consensus has been reached
with regard to its oncostatic/anti-cancer effect. Multiple mechanisms have been
proposed for this effect of melatonin, among which are the anti-oxidant, antiinflammatory,
anti-estrogen/androgen, anti-angiogenic, and pro-apoptotic actions of
melatonin. This chapter presents an account on the anti-cancer effect of melatonin,
focusing on mechanisms of action by presenting examples of cancer types, including
the most common types of cancer in the world: cancers of the lung, prostate, breast,
and colon, as well as ovarian cancer.
Keywords: Breast cancer, Cancer, Colorectal cancer, Lung cancer, Melatonin,
Oncostatic effect, Pineal gland, Prostate cancer.
