Abstract
This chapter provides an overview about nanotechnology modifying conventional chemotherapy for better therapeutic outcomes in cancer management. Conventional chemotherapeutic agents have limitations including partial aqueous solubility, toxicities due to solvents or carriers, non-specific distribution profile and development of drug resistance. Nanotherapeutics help to overcome these limitations. Both inorganic nanomaterials, like carbon nanotubes, silica nanoparticles, gold nanoparticles, magnetic nanoparticles and quantum dots, and organic nanomaterials, such as polymeric micelles, liposomes, dendrimers, etc., are being researched due to their physicochemical properties including size, shape, surface charges etc. Various strategies are being advocated for tumor uptake of nanoparticles and nanoparticle-based drug delivery. Challenges do exist with nanoparticles such as difficulty in physicochemical characterization, large-scale reproduction and toxicity profiles. Some commonly used chemotherapy drugs like doxorubicin, docetaxel and paclitaxel have already been modified with new drug delivery systems with nanotechnology and are approved by regulatory authorities.
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