Abstract

World-wide, cancer ranks second only to cardiovascular diseases in terms of deaths. Environmental or inherited factors damage or alter the genetic material of cells, causing cancer. Metastatic cancer is currently treated primarily with anti-cancer drugs, instead of surgery or radiotherapy, when it is localized and non-metastatic. The purpose of chemotherapy is to inhibit the division of rapidly growing cells, which are characteristic of cancerous cells, but unfortunately, it also affects normal cells with rapid proliferation rates, such as hair follicles, bone marrow, and gastrointestinal tract cells, which cause chemotherapy-like side effects. Chemotherapy utilizing targeted drug delivery can improve the therapeutic efficacy of drugs by delivering them specifically to tumor cells or tissues, and minimizing their unwanted side effects on normal cells. Through passive targeting by enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) as well as active targeting by various types of receptors, nanocarriers are effective drug delivery strategies. In this article, we review recent strategies and technologies to enhance chemotherapy delivery.