Diagnosis and Clinical Aspects of Lung Cancer: A Special Emphasis on Drug Targeting to Cancer Cells through Nanoparticles

Lung cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths globally. The availability of successful anticancer agents in the market is limited, and the development process of a new drug molecule is slow and difficult. The currently available commercial formulations are not sufficient to produce the desired therapeutic response within a specific time limit. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop novel nanocarrier-based therapies to defeat the restrictions of existing therapeutics. Nanoparticles have been investigated as novel formulations but are often inefficient in practical applications. However, several unanswered questions and challenges exist in their clinical development; thus, a better understanding of their influence on cancer biology, stability, and toxicity needs to be gained. This review discusses different types of lung cancers as well as diagnostic approaches to lung cancer. The review also explores the drug targeting mechanisms to cancer cells through nanoparticles and multi-drug resistance-associated challenges in lung cancer therapy. Various nanocarrier systems that are safe and effective for drug delivery in the treatment of lung cancer have been discussed. This communication will be of high relevance to the biological, formulation, and translational scientists working in the field of cancer biology and drug delivery.