Innovations in nanoparticle-based drug delivery for lung cancer: recent developments and future horizons

Lung cancer is a serious disease with a low overall survival rate due to delayed detection and ineffective conventional therapy. Advances in material science have led to the development of unique nanoscale-based theranostic agents, providing renewed hope for lung cancer patients. Nanocarrier-based drug delivery is an emerging modality for treating lung cancer, offering enhanced bioavailability, in vivo stability, better solubility, greater safety, and sustained, controlled targeted drug delivery. Various types of nanocarriers have been investigated against lung cancer, including liposomes, polymer-drug conjugates, NPs, micelles, dendrimers, carbon nanotubes, and nanofibres. This review aims to provide an overview of various receptors overexpressed in lung cancer, the various targeting approaches of NPs, and the therapeutic involvement of nanosized carriers as targeting tools for lung cancer treatment. It also highlights the progress in the development and design of nano carrier-based pulmonary as well as co-delivery systems, as well as insights into cilical trials, formulation challenges, and physicochemical characteristics of nanocarriers affecting their in vitro and in vivo performance.