Understanding the role of metal-organic frameworks in cancer treatment

Since cancer is regarded as a nonnegligible health problem, many researchers have paid much attention to establishing all-around cancer treatment methods. Compared with chemotherapy, the most typical cancer treatment methods, photodynamical therapy (PDT) and sonodynamical therapy (SDT), have gradually been proven to be efficient in cancer treatment through different reaction mechanisms. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are a series of star materials owing to their designable structure, high surface area, and porosity. Hence, an in-depth understanding of MOFs will allow us to improve patient health and maximize safety in clinical cancer therapy, which has the potential to treat various difficult cancers. Herein, we focus on the roles of MOF-based cancer treatment systems in chemotherapy, PDT, and SDT and try to clarify the design direction of MOF structures. Some perspectives are also proposed. We hope our perspective can provide insights into the roles of MOFs in cancer therapy.