Metal–Organic Frameworks Against Tumor Metastasis: Therapeutic Targets, Strategies, and Challenges for Clinical Translation

Tumor invasion and metastasis are the primary causes of cancer-related mortality and have a profound impact on patient prognosis. This review comprehensively examines the application of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) in anti-metastatic therapy and establishes a theoretical foundation for their clinical translation. A systematic literature analysis clarifies the structural and therapeutic profile of MOFs. These materials show significant promise for anti-metastatic therapy, leveraged by their high loading capacity, tunable responsiveness, and modifiable surface properties. This review discusses MOF-based multi-targeted strategies to combat metastasis, including tumor microenvironment modulation, targeting of key metastatic cells, and multimodal synergistic therapies. These approaches have demonstrated success in applications such as drug delivery, photodynamic therapy, and immune activation. The discussion further addresses critical challenges in biosafety and targeting efficiency for clinical translation, while recognizing how MOFs' structural versatility sustains their therapeutic development. This reviewaims to provide a theoretical foundation and practical framework for the innovative design and clinical translation of MOFs in anti-metastatic therapy.