Inorganic nanoparticles: A potential cancer therapy for human welfare

Abstract Cancer is an abnormal condition leading to uncontrolled cell division which causes damage to the body tissues. Around 100 types of cancer are studied so far namely breast cancer, lung cancer, skin cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer and lymphoma. Major cancer therapies include chemotherapy, surgery and radiations but their major drawbacks are non-specifically distributed antitumor agents, uneven delivery of drug concentration to the tumour and low monitoring. Nanoparticles (NPs) are the newly trending field of nanomedicine implied in cancer therapy. The structural characteristics of NPs makes them excellent mode for targeting and penetrating the abnormal cell growth caused by cancer. They can potentially enter the abnormal cells causing DNA damage and determine the defects in the genes. Apart from targeting cancer cells they also aid in drug delivery, imaging of abnormal cells, release and monitoring of therapeutic agents against cancer. The present review deals with the inorganic NPs mediated pharmacotherapy, potential strategies for developing drug delivery system, evaluate the merits and demerits of traditional chemotherapy and nanotherapy for significantly improving the treatment of cancers.