Nanovaccines in cancer immunoprevention and immunotherapy: Current insights and future directions

• Nanovaccines enhance immune activation, antigen loading, and precise tumor targeting efficiency. • The review classifies nanovaccines as therapeutic (anti-tumor) or prophylactic (anti-cancer) tools. • Its discusses nanocarriers like liposomes, polymers, gold nanoparticles, and virus-like particles. • Its explores bioinspired, stimuli-responsive delivery for optimal immune stimulation and uptake. • Its covers clinical progress, translational hurdles, mRNA platforms, and AI-driven vaccine design. Cancer is one of the most problematic health challenge on a global scale and new ways need to be found for its prevention and treatment. Cancer immunotherapy has become a powerful strategy for activating the immune system into fighting the tumor, whereas cancer immunoprevention is attempting to generate protective immunity prior to the development of malignancy. Nanovaccines represent one of the pulling forces of the emerging strategies that possess the power to revolutionize cancer immunoprevention and immunotherapy. And when nanovaccines are combined with immunological principles, antigen loading can be accomplished more efficiently, the immune system is activated to a better extent and correct targeting activity is improved compared with the conventional vaccine vehicles. Complete analysis of nanovaccines in cancer management is provided, classifying them into anti-tumor and anti-cancer categories. It details nanocarrier systems like liposomes and gold nanoparticles, exploring their mechanisms and immunological effects. The review discusses innovative delivery methods, clinical advancements, and challenges including regulatory barriers and safety. Emphasis is placed on trends like neoantigen-based nanovaccines, mRNA platforms, and the role of artificial intelligence. The convergence of cancer immunotherapy and nanotechnology promises significant advancements in cancer prevention and treatment.