Nanotherapeutic Platforms for Cancer Treatment: From Preclinical Development to Clinical Application

Cancer is the leading cause of disease worldwide, characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation, evasion of apoptosis, inflammation, cellular differentiation, survival, invasion, and angiogenesis. Conventional chemotherapy, which is the standard treatment for most advanced cancers, kills normal and malignant cells in an indiscriminate manner. However, nanotechnological drug carriers can be considered as ideal candidates for cancer treatment since they can make use of the abnormal characteristics of tumor tissues and, either through active, passive, or specific targeting, they can selectively destroy cancer cells, avoiding the healthy ones. Additionally, nanomedicine products can improve the properties of the traditional anticancer drugs, enhancing the efficacy and therapeutic index of these compounds. Moreover, adequate nanoplatforms can also be considered as efficient theranostic approaches, enabling a simultaneous diagnosis and treatment at the tumor tissue. Some nanocarriers incorporating cytotoxic agents, such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, polymeric micelles, and polymer- or lipid–drug conjugate nanoparticles, have already been developed and are currently in the market, while others are still under clinical or preclinical research. In this chapter, we highlight the latest innovations in anticancer nanotherapeutics, including a detailed description of the different nanotechnology-based drug-delivery systems used for cancer therapy, those in preclinical development, as well as the most important clinical studies up to date. Therefore, these novel nanocarrier approaches might open up new alternatives for the therapeutic intervention of cancer.