Nanomedicine for Cancer Therapy

Despite considerable strides in medical science and technology, there are still limited effective treatment approaches for cancer. Cancer metastasis and recurrence play a significant role in disability and mortality, although the precise mechanisms are poorly understood. Chemotherapy, radiation therapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy are examples of traditional cancer treatments. However, constraints, like cytotoxicity, lack of selectivity, and multidrug resistance, provide significant hurdles to effective cancer treatment. The introduction of nanomedicine as a novel and appealing technology has opened new avenues for early detection, enhanced treatment, and improved diagnostics for cancer. Despite increased research studies, the number of clinically approved nano-based drugs has not increased significantly over the years. Although cancer nanomedicines can do early detection and deliver therapeutic agents with less systemic toxicity, it is crucial to take the complexity of the tumor microenvironment and dynamics into consideration to overcome the translational bench-to-bedside gap. It is crucial to carry out the proper research to take advantage of the tumor microenvironment and to obtain a better understanding of the basic biological mechanisms underlying cancer. More research on targeted nano-based drug delivery carriers is required to decrease toxicity, improve permeability, retention effects, and circulation time, and reduce the shielding impact of the protein corona. This chapter provides a brief overview of the current cancer therapeutics and the application of nanotechnology, the major challenges, and the probable prospects in this area of research.Keywords: