Cancer Biology and Therapeutics: A Contemporary Review

Abstract

Since the second half of the 20th century, our knowledge about the biology of cancer has made extraordinary progress. Today, we understand cancer at the genomic and epigenomic levels, and we have identified the cell that starts neoplastic transformation and characterized the mechanisms for the invasion of other tissues. This knowledge has allowed novel drugs to be designed that act on specific molecular targets, the immune system to be trained and manipulated to increase its efficiency, and ever more effective therapeutic strategies to be developed. Nevertheless, we are still far from winning the war against cancer, and thus biomedical research in oncology must continue to be a global priority. Likewise, there is a need to reduce unequal access to medical services and improve prevention programs, especially in countries with a low human development index. Effective cancer therapy is still a great challenge for modern medical research due to the complex underlying mechanisms of tumorigenesis and tumor metastasis, and
the limitations commonly associated with currently used cancer therapeutic options. Nanotechnology has been implemented in cancer therapeutics with immense potential for improving cancer treatment. Through information about the recent advances regarding cancer hallmarks, we could comprehensively understand the pharmacological effects and explore  mechanisms of the interaction between the nanomaterials, which could provide opportunities to develop mechanism-based nanomedicine to treat human cancers.