In this last decade, our understanding of the complex factors and processes that drive cancer development and progression has broadened in scope and grown in depth. Today it is widely held that as a disease, cancer can be characterized in terms of specific hallmarks that normal cells need to acquire to transform into malignant cells. Because it is both logical and intuitive, the hallmarks of cancer concept have been adopted by both the scientific and medical community as an organising principle to understand cancer and to develop new therapeutic approaches. Several new hallmarks have emerged in recent years arising from a better understanding of the crosstalk between cancer cells and their surrounding tumor microenvironment. There is evidence of the so-called “metallic” crosstalk that is linked to neoplastic cell transformation. The current review is based on the collaborative efforts of bioinorganic chemists, molecular biologists and medical doctors. It summarizes the therapeutic strategies developed for targeting phenotypic plasticity and cancer microbiome arising from interactions with transition metals and discusses whether transition metal complexes might offer therapeutic advantages compared to current treatment options.

在过去的十年中，我们对驱动癌症发展和进展的复杂因素和过程的理解在范围和深度上都有所扩大。今天，人们普遍认为，作为一种疾病，癌症可以根据正常细胞转变为恶性细胞所需的特定标志来表征。因为它既符合逻辑又符合直觉，癌症概念的特点已被科学界和医学界用作了解癌症和开发新治疗方法的组织原则。近年来，由于更好地了解癌细胞与其周围肿瘤微环境之间的串扰，出现了几个新的标志。有证据表明所谓的“金属”串扰与肿瘤细胞转化有关。目前的审查是基于生物无机化学家、分子生物学家和医生的共同努力。它总结了针对因与过渡金属相互作用而产生的表型可塑性和癌症微生物组而开发的治疗策略，并讨论了与目前的治疗方案相比，过渡金属络合物是否可能提供治疗优势。