Innovative approaches for cancer treatment: current perspectives and new challenges

TLDR

Cancer causes millions of deaths annually, yet many therapeutic challenges persist, prompting the evaluation of technologies such as nanomedicine and engineered extracellular vesicles for targeted diagnosis and treatment. The review aims to analyze innovative advances in basic and applied cancer research to develop new therapies that reduce side effects of conventional treatments. The authors conduct a comprehensive review of cutting‑edge basic and applied cancer research, synthesizing recent advances.

Abstract

Every year, cancer is responsible for millions of deaths worldwide and, even though much progress has been achieved in medicine, there are still many issues that must be addressed in order to improve cancer therapy. For this reason, oncological research is putting a lot of effort towards finding new and efficient therapies which can alleviate critical side effects caused by conventional treatments. Different technologies are currently under evaluation in clinical trials or have been already introduced into clinical practice. While nanomedicine is contributing to the development of biocompatible materials both for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes, bioengineering of extracellular vesicles and cells derived from patients has allowed designing ad hoc systems and univocal targeting strategies. In this review, we will provide an in-depth analysis of the most innovative advances in basic and applied cancer research.