Nanoparticle Systems Applied for Immunotherapy in Various Treatment Modalities

In the fight against cancer, studies have shown that administering combination treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy improve patient outcomes. Ultimately to overcome the limitations posed by current treatments, such as deleterious side effects and high reoccurrence rates, new therapeutic strategies need to be explored and developed. Recently, methods designed to modulate the immune system using antigens, adjuvants, and immunotherapy drugs have been approved for use in patients and have shown to increase patients’ survival. For effective delivery of immunoagents, nanoparticles have been explored for their ability to deliver cancer therapeutics. Moreover, plasmonic metal and organic nanoparticles can be multifunctional in their mode of action not only acting as delivery agents of drugs, but also as additional therapeutic vessels since their unique properties enable photothermal and photodynamic therapy. A plethora of studies have demonstrated that chemotherapy, photothermal, and photodynamic therapy can prime the immune system for effective cancer killing and cancer vaccine effects, as immunogenic cell death occurs after administration of these treatments. This chapter highlights various nanoparticle platforms used in the cancer therapeutic arsenal for immunotherapy. Moreover, combination of nanomaterials with other treatments, including photothermal therapy, photodynamic therapy, and chemotherapy will be discussed towards the understanding of defeating cancer and preventing tumor recurrence.