Lung Cancer: Therapies, Impediments, and Toxicity of Inhaled Polymeric Nanoparticles

Cancer of the lung is the most prevalent kind since it is identified in a considerable number of individuals and has a low chance of survival. Lung cancer comes in a variety of forms, the most common being non-small cell carcinoma, which accounts for the majority of cases diagnosed globally. In order to treat the lung carcinoma there is a advent of many therapies such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy, photodynamic therapy and nanotechnology based therapy having numbers of advantages as well disadvantages. The inhalable polymeric nanoparticles for drug targeting is one of the most ideal approach for the drug delivery in the lung cancer as it is less toxic, having high biocompatibility with good biodegradability and also there is efficient transport of drug to the cancerous cells. However, because the lungs have so many clearance mechanisms, including enzymatic, respiratory, and fast systemic absorption, it is challenging to achieve stable localization in the respiratory tract upon drug inhalation. Polymeric nanoparticles although appears to be best candidate for targeted drug delivery but they do offers toxicity to the healthy cells which is affected by numerous types of characteristics like size, shape, charge, biodegradability and disease condition as well as interaction with the lungs environment. This review paper highlights the lung cancer with its types and the therapies which are being applied for its treatment and drug delivery. There is also discussion about the challenges faced by the polymeric nanoparticles upon inhalation and the factors affecting the toxicity of inhaled nanoparticles.