Receptor-Targeted Surface-Engineered Nanomaterials for Breast Cancer Imaging and Theranostic Applications

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers in women and the major cause of worldwide cancer-related deaths among women. Various treatment strategies including conventional chemotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy, gene silencing and deliberately engineered nanomaterials for receptor mediated targeted delivery of anticancer drugs, antibodies, and small-molecule inhibitors, etc are being investigated by scientists to combat breast cancer. Smartly designed/fabricated nanomaterials are being explored to target breast cancer through enhanced permeation and retention effect; and also, being conjugated with suitable ligand for receptor-mediated endocytosis to target breast cancer for diagnostic, and theranostic applications. These receptor-targeted nanomedicines have shown efficacy to target specific tumor tissue/cells abstaining the healthy tissues/cells from cytotoxic effect of anticancer drug molecules. In the last few decades, theranostic nanomedicines have gained much attention among other nanoparticle systems due to their unique ability to deliver chemotherapeutic as well as diagnostic agents, simultaneously. Theranostic nanomaterials are emerging as novel paradigm with ability for concurrent delivery of imaging (with contrasting agents), targeting (with biomarkers), and anticancer therapeutics with one delivery system (as cancer theranostics) and can transpire as promising strategy to overcome various hurdles for effective management of breast cancer including its most aggressive form, triple-negative breast cancer.