Drug resistance and poor efficacy of anticancer therapies prompt to
investigate innovative therapeutic strategies aimed to improving efficacy and lowering
toxicity. Recent advances in chemotherapeutics have been achieved using specific
pharmaceutical combinations or ameliorating drug delivery by drug encapsulation.
Novel combined treatments are based on the use of drugs, typically natural active or
intended for other uses combined with the classical anti-cancer drug. These compounds
promote synergistic effects even more enhanced when drug delivery is achieved by
nanocarriers. Nanotechnologies provide a site-specific delivery at the tumor site,
resulting from receptor-mediated endocytosis and prolonged circulation time.
Nanocarriers also increase drug bioavailability and biocompatibility contributing to a
drug increase inside the tumor and determining a minor toxicity and a better efficacy.
This chapter reports recent findings about novel anticancer combined treatments and
about the latest drug delivery systems based on the use of nanocarriers.
Keywords: Cannabinoids, Combined treatment, Curcumin, Epigallocatechingallate,
Liposomes, Nanoparticles oncolytic viruses, Phytochemicals,
Resveratrol, Small interfering RNA, y-tocotrienol.