Magnesium alloys in tumor treatment: Current research status, challenges and future prospects

Cancer is a major threat to human life worldwide. Traditional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and surgery, have major limitations and can cause irreversible damage to normal tissues while killing the cancer cells. Magnesium (Mg) alloys are widely reported novel potential biomedical materials with acceptable mechanical properties and good osteogenic and angiogenic properties. In this review, we summarize the Mg alloys for antitumor applications, including pure Mg and Mg alloys (Mg-Ag, Mg-Gd, Mg-Li-Zn, Mg-Ca-Sr-Zn, et al.) fabricated by casting and extruding, selective laser melting methods. Mg alloys can exhibit antitumor effect on bone tumor, breast cancer, and liver tumor, etal. What's more, after tumor tissue is eliminated, Mg alloys prevent tumor recurrence, fill tissue defects and promote tissue regeneration. The antitumor effects of Mg alloys are mainly due to their degradation products. Overall, Mg alloys show great potential in tumor treatments due to the dual function of antitumor and tissue regeneration.