Recent Advances in Antitumor Nanomedicine Based on Covalent Organic Frameworks

Cancer remains one of the leading threats to human health today. With the rapid advancement of nanotechnology, the integration of nanomaterials with therapeutic strategies has shown great potential in addressing the limitations of conventional cancer treatments. Covalent organic frameworks (COFs) are novel crystalline porous polymers with well-defined backbones and nanopores, mainly composed of light elements (H, B, C, N, and O) linked by dynamic covalent bonds. Owing to their tunable morphology, adjustable porosity, intelligent responsive release, and good biocompatibility, COFs have been extensively explored for applications in cancer diagnosis and treatment. This review summarizes recent progress in the synthesis of COFs, their distinctions from other traditional nanomaterials, their tumor microenvironment-responsive release capabilities, and highlights the development of multifunctional COF-based nanoplatforms for cancer imaging and treatment. Finally, the prospects and challenges of COF-based nanoplatforms in tumor therapeutics are discussed, aiming to provide new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for subsequent tumor prevention and treatment.