Dendrimers for the Management of Lung Cancer

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and with increasing incidence throughout the world, it continues to require innovative approaches to curative cancer treatment. Though remarkable developments in chemotherapeutic treatments have occurred, conventional drug delivery systems are hindered by low bioavailability, systemic toxicity, as well as drastically poor tumor selectivity. As highly branched nanocarriers, dendrimers are advantageous for cancer treatment because they exhibit unique structures, surface properties designed for modification, and the ability to encapsulate and improve the solubility of chemotherapeutic agents. Stable complexes can be formed due to their amphiphilic nature and help in the improvement of drug solubility and targeted drug delivery. Among the various dendrimers, polyamidoamine (PAMAM), poly-l-lysine (PLL), and poly (propylene imine) (PPI) have been proven to be potentially useful for lung cancer therapy in increasing the release of the drug as well as its stability and tumor specificity. In addition, the use of dendrimers provides both active and passive targeting, overcoming the limitations of the conventional treatment. This chapter reviews the use of dendrimers in lung cancer management/treatment and recent therapeutic applications. Nanotechnology incorporating dendrimers as a means for improving therapeutic outcomes and reducing the potential adverse effects in the treatment of lung cancer is a promising method. Dendrimers, as a multifunctional nanotherapeutic platform, are a powerful tool for the revolution of lung cancer treatment and improve patient survival rates.