Nano-Based Approved Pharmaceuticals for Cancer Treatment: Present and Future Challenges

Biomolecules. 2022 Jun 4;12(6):784. doi: 10.3390/biom12060784.

Abstract

Cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide. To date, and despite the advances in conventional treatment options, therapy in cancer is still far from optimal due to the non-specific systemic biodistribution of antitumor agents. The inadequate drug concentrations at the tumor site led to an increased incidence of multiple drug resistance and the appearance of many severe undesirable side effects. Nanotechnology, through the development of nanoscale-based pharmaceuticals, has emerged to provide new and innovative drugs to overcome these limitations. In this review, we provide an overview of the approved nanomedicine for cancer treatment and the rationale behind their designs and applications. We also highlight the new approaches that are currently under investigation and the perspectives and challenges for nanopharmaceuticals, focusing on the tumor microenvironment and tumor disseminate cells as the most attractive and effective strategies for cancer treatments.

Keywords: approved nanopharmaceuticals; cancer therapy; nanomedicine; nanotechnology; targeted therapy.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Agents* / pharmacology
  • Antineoplastic Agents* / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Nanomedicine
  • Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations
  • Tissue Distribution
  • Tumor Microenvironment

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the Spanish “Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades”, and “Instituto de Salud Carlos III” through the projects PI17/00553, PI17/00150, PI20/00770, and PI20/00623 and through RICORS RD21/0012/0001 (co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, “A way to make Europe”). The authors also acknowledge the support of the Fundación Mutua Madrileña (FMMA) through the project “Targeted therapy for selective elimination of metastatic stem cells CXCR4+ in endometrial cancer” (AP1666942017), from Asociación Española contra el cancer (AECC) through the project “Development of an antitumor protein delivery system into ovarian cancer cells using the subcellular vault” (IDEAS18038BENI), and from CIBER-BBN through the project “Design of protein nanomedicines for targeted therapies in pancreatic cancer” (PANCREATOR). The Networking Research Center on Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine (CIBERBBN) is an initiative funded by the VI National R&D&I Plan 2008–2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions and financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund.