Nanomedicine and Immunotherapy for Cancers

Abstract

Nanomedicine contributes to cancer therapeutics in several ways, harnessing some of the remarkable properties of nanomaterials to target tumor cells with increasing specificity. Nano-scale therapeutic strategies enable the simultaneous transport of hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs across physical and physiological barriers like the blood-brain barrier. Alternative routes of drug administration, such as the intranasal route, have become viable, with more promising therapies for highly lethal tumors like glioblastomas. Cancer nanomedicine allows increased solubility and bioavailability of anti-cancer drugs, reducing their toxicity. Multi-drug delivery systems such as dendrimers, noble metal nanoparticle drug delivery systems, nanoparticle-based theranostics, and nano-biomarkers may well bring about a sea change in cancer therapeutics. This review presents an overview of the scope of cancer nanomedicine, including immunotherapy for cancer.