Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, necessitating
continuous innovation in its diagnosis and treatment. Traditional therapies, including
chemotherapy and radiotherapy, face significant limitations such as systemic toxicity,
poor selectivity, and drug resistance. Nanomedicine has emerged as a transformative
strategy that integrates diagnosis and therapy (theranostics) within a single
nanoplatform, enabling targeted drug delivery, stimuli-responsive controlled release of
payload, multimodal therapy, and real-time treatment monitoring. This chapter reviews
the evolution and applications of various nanomedicine modalities, including
polymeric nanoparticles, lipid-based carriers, metallic and silica-based nanoparticles,
quantum dots, and Prussian blue nanoparticles, among others. It explores their
mechanism of action through both passive and active targeting strategies, discusses the
integration of multimodal therapeutic functionalities, and addresses the challenges
related to the tumor microenvironment, immune interactions, and clinical translation.
Through an analysis of recent advancements and clinical evaluations, this chapter
provides a comprehensive understanding of how nanomedicine is redefining cancer
care and outlines the prospects and limitations for its widespread implementation in
personalized oncology.
Keywords: Active and Passive Targeting, Clinical Translation, Multimodal Theranostics, Personalized Oncology, Stimuli-responsive Release.
