Carcinogenic Medications: A Review of Specific Agents and Molecular Mechanisms of Carcinogenesis

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Pharmacovigilance has revealed an alarming correlation between certain medications and a higher risk of cancer. In this narrative review, included research from 2020 to 2025, along with a few seminal older studies, so that it provides a clear picture of which drugs actually set off cancer and mechanisms involved at the molecular level. An extensive literature review of the subject was designed on PubMed, Embase, Scopus, and Web of Science using systematic search. Search words and phrases included: "Carcinogenic drugs," "drug-induced cancer," "medication-induced carcinogenesis," "immunosuppressant cancer risk," "hormone therapy and cancer," "chemotherapy-induced secondary malignancies," and names of relevant drugs. RECENT FINDINGS: Our discussion covers a broad spectrum of drugs, including immunosuppressants, hormone therapies, and chemotherapy agents that can unsurprisingly cause secondary cancers. The review has addressed that there are other medications with solid evidence linking them to cancer. The review focuses on how cancers are induced by chemicals through DNA damage, epigenetic modifications, chronic inflammation, immunological suppression, and receptor-mediated signaling pathways. CONCLUSION: A thorough understanding of the risk and mechanisms is essential for the design of safer therapies, implementation of risk reduction strategies, and advancement of informed prescribing practice.