Cancer, as a complicated disease, is considered to be one of the major leading causes of death globally. Although various cancer therapeutic strategies have been established, however, some issues confine the efficacies of the treatments. In recent decades, biomedical researchers for finding novel and efficient therapeutic solutions have extensively focused on the abilities of stem cells in cancer inhibition. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal cells that can the most widely extracted from various sources such as the bone marrow (BM), placenta, umbilical cord (UC), UC blood, menses blood, endometrium, wharton's jelly (WJ), adipose tissue, dental pulp (DP), and amnion. Generally, MSCs are known plastic adherent cells that express surface markers including CD105, CD73, and CD90 and lack the expression of hematopoietic markers such as CD45, CD34, and CD14. These cells are capable of differentiating into osteoblasts, chondrocytes, and adipocytes in vitro. Due to the unique characteristics of MSCs such as paracrine effects, immunomodulation, tumor-tropism, and migration, they are considered promising candidates for cancer therapeutics. Currently, MSCs are an excellent living carrier for delivery of therapeutic genes and chemical agents to target tumor sites. Also, exosomes, the most important extracellular vesicle released from MSCs, act as a strong cell-free tool for cancer therapeutics. MSCs can prevent cancer progression by inhibiting several signaling pathways, such as wnt/β-catenin, PI3K/AKT/mTOR, and JAK/STAT. However, there are several challenges associated with the use of MSCs and their exosomes in the field of therapy that need to be considered. This review explores the significance of MSCs in cell-based therapy, focusing on their homing properties and immunomodulatory characteristics. It also examines the potential of using MSCs as carriers for delivery of anticancer agents and their role in modulating the signal transduction pathways of cancer cells.
