Advances in nano-drug delivery systems for targeting therapy of breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignant tumor among women worldwide, and conventional chemotherapy faces major challenges including poor targeting, severe systemic toxicity, and drug resistance.

This review analyzes the application of nano-drug delivery systems (NDDS) in improving breast cancer chemotherapy, with a particular focus on recent advances in nanocarrier-based targeting strategies.

This review systematically outlines the current epidemiology and clinical treatment landscape of breast cancer, and provides a detailed analysis of various drug delivery systems (e.g., liposomes, polymeric micelles, inorganic nanoparticles) and their targeting mechanisms, including passive, active, and physicochemical-responsive targeting.

NDDS enhance tumor-selective uptake and therapeutic efficacy while reducing side effects, especially active-targeting systems modified with small-molecule ligands such as biotin. Furthermore, NDDS can circumvent multidrug resistance by inhibiting efflux pumps and modulating the tumor microenvironment.

Nano-drug delivery systems represent a promising disease-modifying approach for precise breast cancer treatment, though challenges remain in clinical translation, which may be overcome through interdisciplinary collaboration and systematic optimization.