Nano-Based Approved Pharmaceuticals for Cancer Treatment: Present and Future Challenges
Francisco Rodríguez,
Pablo Caruana,
Noa De la Fuente,
Pía Español,
María Gámez,
Josep Balart,
Elisa Llurba,
Ramón Rovira,
Raúl Ruiz,
Cristina Martín-Lorente,
José Luis Corchero,
María Virtudes Céspedes
Affiliations
Francisco Rodríguez
Grup d’Oncologia Ginecològica i Peritoneal, Institut d’Investigacions Biomédiques Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Pablo Caruana
Grup d’Oncologia Ginecològica i Peritoneal, Institut d’Investigacions Biomédiques Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Noa De la Fuente
Servicio de Cirugía General y del Aparato Digestivo, Hospital HM Rosaleda, 15701 Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Pía Español
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
María Gámez
Department of Pharmacy, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Josep Balart
Department of Radiation Oncology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Elisa Llurba
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Ramón Rovira
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Raúl Ruiz
Grup d’Oncologia Ginecològica i Peritoneal, Institut d’Investigacions Biomédiques Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Cristina Martín-Lorente
Department of Medical Oncology, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
José Luis Corchero
Institut de Biotecnologia i de Biomedicina and CIBER-BBN, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Bellaterra, 08193 Barcelona, Spain
María Virtudes Céspedes
Grup d’Oncologia Ginecològica i Peritoneal, Institut d’Investigacions Biomédiques Sant Pau, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, 08041 Barcelona, Spain
Cancer is one of the main causes of death worldwide. To date, and despite the advances in conventional treatment options, therapy in cancer is still far from optimal due to the non-specific systemic biodistribution of antitumor agents. The inadequate drug concentrations at the tumor site led to an increased incidence of multiple drug resistance and the appearance of many severe undesirable side effects. Nanotechnology, through the development of nanoscale-based pharmaceuticals, has emerged to provide new and innovative drugs to overcome these limitations. In this review, we provide an overview of the approved nanomedicine for cancer treatment and the rationale behind their designs and applications. We also highlight the new approaches that are currently under investigation and the perspectives and challenges for nanopharmaceuticals, focusing on the tumor microenvironment and tumor disseminate cells as the most attractive and effective strategies for cancer treatments.