Emerging Nanomaterials for Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Nanotechnology offers promising tools in interdisciplinary research areas that include information technology, optics, electronics, magnetics, materials development, and biomedicine. Being measured on molecular scale, it is getting an upsurge of interest in cancer therapeutics. In the past couple of decades, nanotechnology has been emerged out as an extraordinary platform to provide treatment of cancer at an early stage without affecting the neighboring healthy cells and hence attracts scientists to put an effort toward the complete eradication of cancer in the coming years. The use of nanotechnology in different cancer therapies such as chemotherapy, gene therapy, radiation therapy, and radiofrequency therapy has revolutionized oncology. Recent advancements in diverse nano-devices including lipid, polymer, carbon, and inorganic-based nanostructures have been highlighted in the present chapter to treat cancer by different approaches. Nanomaterials offer diverse effect on treatment processes and well-designed specific and selective vectors have been gaining much attention in last few years. However, the fate of nanomaterials administered in vivo must be accounted for to ensure their safe use.