Research Progress of Liposomes in the Anti-tumor Field

Liposomal nanocarriers built from phospholipid bilayers have garnered substantial research interest for anticancer work. Their desirable traits‑‑good biocompatibility, low immunogenic potential, and flexible surface‑tuning possibilities‑‑make them appealing for tumor therapy. This review revisits liposome basics including structural features, common fabrication workflows and different classification schemes. Special attention goes to functional modification approaches reported in recent papers: long‑circulating redesign, thermoresponsive formulations, pH‑triggered vesicles and ligand‑conjugated targeting constructs. I also compile published experimental outcomes for liposome‑based interventions against breast cancer, lung cancer and glioma. Discussions cover active targeting workflows, drug release triggered by local tumor microenvironment cues, and strategies designed to cross the blood‑brain barrier. Even with promising pre‑clinical dataset accumulated over years, multiple practical barriers slow clinical translation. Variable EPR performance across animal species, unwanted side effects linked to PEG modification, and inconsistent formulation stability remain persistent bottlenecks. From my perspective, further work should prioritize stimulus‑responsive liposome designs tailored toward actual tumor microenvironment features. Iterative improvement of manufacturing protocols will also prove critical if we hope to move more liposome candidates toward real‑world clinical use.