Advanced Nanocarriers for Cancer Therapies: Recent Developments and Clinical Challenges

Abstract

Cancer remains a major global health challenge, accounting for substantial morbidity and mortality despite advances in surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, and targeted therapies. However, the clinical effectiveness of these treatments is frequently limited by poor drug specificity, systemic toxicity, multidrug resistance, rapid drug clearance, and inadequate accumulation within tumor tissues. Advanced nanocarrier systems have emerged as a promising strategy to overcome these limitations by improving drug solubility, pharmacokinetics, tumor-targeted delivery, and therapeutic efficacy. This review critically summarizes recent developments in advanced nanocarriers for cancer therapy, emphasizing their design principles, therapeutic applications, clinical translation, and the key challenges influencing their future clinical adoption. The selected studies were critically analyzed to compare different nanocarrier platforms, targeting strategies, therapeutic performance, clinical progress, biosafety, manufacturing considerations, and regulatory perspectives. Recent advances demonstrate that lipid-based, polymeric, inorganic, biomimetic, and hybrid nanocarriers significantly enhance targeted drug delivery, improve therapeutic efficacy, and reduce systemic toxicity. Multifunctional and stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms have further expanded opportunities for precision oncology, although challenges related to safety, scalability, and regulatory approval remain. Advanced nanocarriers represent a promising platform for next-generation cancer therapeutics. Continued optimization of nanocarrier design, comprehensive safety evaluation, standardized manufacturing, and well-designed clinical studies will be essential to facilitate their successful translation into routine oncology practice. Keywords: Advanced Nanocarriers; Cancer Therapy; Targeted Drug Delivery Nanomedicine; Precision Oncology.