Nanotechnology has transformed cancer research, with nanoparticles emerging as powerful platforms for therapy and diagnosis due to their tunable physicochemical properties and biocompatibility. Nanoparticles enable targeted drug delivery, improved pharmacokinetics, and reduced systemic toxicity compared with conventional therapies while also supporting molecular imaging and theragnostic applications. More than eight nanoparticle-based formulations are currently FDA/EMA approved for oncology, highlighting the clinical relevance of nanomedicine. Despite these advances, clinical translation remains limited by biological and technical challenges, including variability in the enhanced permeability and retention effect, insufficient tumor penetration, and low manufacturing scalability. This review primarily focuses on preclinical and translational nanomedicine with selected clinical examples. We summarize recent progress in major nanocarrier classes, including liposomes and polymeric, inorganic, and hybrid nanoparticles, and their roles in cancer therapy. These findings underscore that effective nanotherapeutic strategies must be informed by tumor biology rather than relying on passive targeting alone, that combination and stimuli-responsive platforms represent the most promising therapeutic avenues, and that meaningful clinical translation will depend on overcoming tumor heterogeneity with patient-specific treatment options and achieving robust, reproducible manufacturing.
Lionadi et al. (2026) studied this question.