Advances in the use of nanomaterials in tumour therapy

Cancer is one of the most common causes of death. It is indeed vital to develop advanced treatments against severe cancers. Traditional therapies like surgery may not clear the tumour cells completely, which will lead to cancer recurrence. The possibility of normal cells being killed cannot be excluded in chemotherapy, which is one of the most popular ways to treat cancer—using nanomaterials (NPs) as drug carriers can somewhat avoid these problems. And they are widely used in targeted therapies to treat cancer. The essay first introduces several types of biopolymeric NPs, such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles and inorganic particles. Mechanisms of treatments using NPs are included. For polymeric nanoparticles, dendrimers, polymeric micelles and gels are included. Reasons why inorganic NPs, including mesoporous silica NPs and metallic oxides, are used in treatment are then explained. Then, the functions of different NPs of the same type are compared. Finally, other studies about each specific NP are introduced. This article is significant for future studies on drug carriers for cancer treatment.