Mechanistic Insights into Nanomaterials and Advanced Drug Delivery Platforms for the Theranostic Management of Hepatic Cancer: A Comprehensive Update

Abstract Hepatic cancer remains one of the most aggressive malignancies and a major contributor to global cancer-related mortality. Conventional treatment approaches are often limited by poor prognosis, late-stage detection, off-target toxicity, and inadequate therapeutic efficacy. In recent years, nanomaterial-based theranostics have emerged as a powerful strategy to address these limitations by integrating diagnosis and therapy into a single platform. These systems offer enhanced imaging sensitivity, site-specific drug delivery, and real-time treatment monitoring, thereby improving the overall management of hepatic cancer. This review presents an overview of the challenges associated with traditional pharmacological treatments and discusses how recent advancements in nano-biomedicine and pharmaceutical sciences are transforming the therapeutic landscape. Stimuli-responsive nanomaterials, with their ability to release therapeutic payloads in response to specific cues within the tumor microenvironment, are highlighted as promising advancements. This tailored drug delivery approach maximizes therapeutic outcomes and minimizes systemic side effects, enhancing patient quality of life. Furthermore, this review mainly addresses the pivotal aspects of clinical translation by providing significant insights into the progress and challenges associated with the approach of nanomaterial-based theranostic methods transitioning from the laboratory to the bedside. The integration of these innovative approaches into clinical practice holds the promise of transforming hepatic cancer management. This state-of-the-art update explains the latest advancements in nanomaterials and the advanced drug delivery platforms for the theranostic management of hepatic cancer by addressing current therapeutic gaps, barriers, and diagnostic challenges. Graphical Abstract