Recent advances of nanomedicines for liver cancer therapy

Abstract

Liver cancer is one of the most prevalent cancers and the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Liver cancer is insensitive to chemotherapeutic drugs due to its intrinsic or acquired drug resistance and the inability of delivering sufficient drugs to tumors via current chemotherapy. The emergence of nanomedicines offers a potential solution for this challenge. Nanomedicines utilize nanoscale or nanostructured materials in medicines for particular medical purposes. In this review, we illustrate the recent developments of various nanomedicines for liver cancer by presenting selected examples at different stages. Diverse nanomaterials, varied targeting moieties, and specific strategies for controlled release of nanomedicines for liver cancer therapy are summarized. Multifunctional nanomedicines for liver cancer are also discussed. This comprehensive review is aimed at providing quick access for readers to the cutting-edge nanomedicines in liver cancer therapy.