Nanotechnology has expanded what can be achieved in our approach to cancer treatment. The ability to produce and engineer functional nanoparticle formulations to elicit higher incidences of tumor cell radiolysis has resulted in substantial improvements in cancer cell eradication while also permitting multi-modal biomedical functionalities. These radiosensitive nanomaterials utilize material characteristics, such as radio-blocking/absorbing high-Z atomic number elements, to mediate localized effects from therapeutic irradiation. These materials thereby allow subsequent scattered or emitted radiation to produce direct (e.g., damage to genetic materials) or indirect (e.g., protein oxidation, reactive oxygen species formation) damage to tumor cells. Using nanomaterials that activate under certain physiologic conditions, such as the tumor microenvironment, can selectively target tumor cells. These characteristics, combined with biological interactions that can target the tumor environment, allow for localized radio-sensitization while mitigating damage to healthy cells. This review explores the various nanomaterial formulations utilized in cancer radiosensitivity research. Emphasis on inorganic nanomaterials showcases the specific material characteristics that enable higher incidences of radiation while ensuring localized cancer targeting based on tumor microenvironment activation. The aim of this review is to guide future research in cancer radiosensitization using nanomaterial formulations and to detail common approaches to its treatment, as well as their relations to commonly implemented radiotherapy techniques.
Keywords: cancer; carbonaceous nanoparticles; cerium oxide; nanomaterials; radiation therapy; radiosensitizer; reactive oxygen species.