PEGylated Liposomal Nanocarriers in Cancer Therapy: Emerging Strategies and Clinical Prospects

Nanomedicine has changed the course of oncology through drug-delivery systems that improve efficacy while reducing systemic toxicity. PEGylated liposomes have specifically revolutionized cancer treatment by enhancing pharmacokinetics, stability, and tumor-selective deposition via the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect.

The keywords applied in the literature review included PEGylated liposomes, nanomedicine, and drug delivery in cancer, which were used to identify relevant studies. Data were gathered from credible databases in PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar, with emphasis on peerreviewed, most recent publications in English.

PEGylation has been shown to extend the circulatory lifetime, enhance drug deposition in tumors, and minimize off-target toxicity. Clinical reports indicated that PEGylated preparations were superior and better tolerated than standard chemotherapy, particularly in breast, ovarian cancer, and pancreatic malignancies. New therapeutic potential can be unlocked through gene delivery, RNA-based therapies, and combination regimens.

Clinical success has been achieved, but shortcomings exist, such as the accelerated blood clearance (ABC) effect, PEG immunogenicity, and drug accumulation heterogeneity that are due to EPR. To address those challenges, more effective design solutions should be employed, including stimuli-responsive liposomes and patient-tailored methods.

PEGylated liposomes are a pharmaceutically established and maturing nanomedicine technology in oncology. Their further advancement toward multifunctional, personalized, and immunologically safer designs promises to deliver cancer therapeutics.