Lung cancer represents a marked global public health concern. Despite existing treatment modalities, the average 5‑year survival rate for patients with patients with lung cancer is only ~20%. As there are numerous adverse effects of systemic administration routes, there is an urgent need to develop a novel therapeutic strategy tailored specifically for patients with lung cancer. Non‑invasive aerosol inhalation, as a route of drug administration, holds unique advantages in the context of respiratory diseases. Nanoscale materials have extensive applications in the field of biomedical research in recent years. The present study provides a comprehensive review of the classification, applications summarized according to existing clinical treatment modalities for lung cancer and challenges associated with inhalable micron/nanoparticle drug delivery systems (DDSs) in lung cancer. Achieving localized treatment of lung cancer preclinical models through inhalation is deemed feasible. However, further research is required to substantiate the efficacy and long‑term safety of inhalable micron/nanoparticle DDSs in the clinical management of lung cancer.
Keywords: drug delivery system; inhalation; lung cancer; micron/nanoparticle; therapy.