Development and therapeutic implications of small molecular inhibitors that target calcium-related channels in tumor treatment.

• Calcium homeostasis is crucial in cancer, regulating many physiological processes. • Calcium ion-related channels are crucial in cancer regulation and potential therapeutic targets. • Physiological processes like EMT, drug resistance, etc., and their association with calcium ion-related channels are critical in cancer. • Many small molecular drugs have been developed targeting those channels. Calcium ion dysregulation exerts profound effects on various physiological activities such as tumor proliferation, migration, and drug resistance. Calcium-related channels play a regulatory role in maintaining calcium ion homeostasis, with most channels being highly expressed in tumor cells. Additionally, these channels serve as potential drug targets for the development of antitumor medications. In this review, we first discuss the current research status of these pathways, examining how they modulate various tumor functions such as epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT), metabolism, and drug resistance. Simultaneously, we summarize the recent progress in the study of novel small-molecule drugs over the past 5 years and their current status. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]