Summary
Cancer treatment has evolved from broadly cytotoxic approaches to highly tailored interventions that exploit molecular vulnerabilities and the body’s own defences. Surgery and radiotherapy remain cornerstones for local disease control, often in combination with systemic therapies. Cytotoxic chemotherapy, introduced in the 1940s with nitrogen mustards and folate antagonists, targets rapidly dividing cells but causes collateral damage to healthy tissues. Advances in molecular biology identified oncogenic drivers, giving rise to targeted therapies that inhibit specific kinases or surface receptors, thereby improving efficacy and reducing off-target toxicity. The latest revolution harnesses immunotherapy, which reawakens anticancer immune responses via checkpoint inhibitors, adoptive cell transfer and tumour vaccines. These modalities can achieve durable remissions even in advanced disease. Looking ahead, integration of genomic profiling, adaptive combinations of targeted and immune agents, and nanomedicine for precision delivery are driving the field towards truly personalised, high-impact treatments.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Non-covalent channel-type nanoparticles formed by self-assembly of mannose-modified γ-cyclodextrin with the multikinase inhibitor regorafenib have been engineered to reprogramme the colorectal cancer microenvironment. By promoting uptake in tumour-associated macrophages, these nanocomplexes attenuate inflammation, suppress neovascularisation and enhance kinase inhibition, yielding marked tumour growth delay and improved safety in preclinical models.
An all-in-control lipid-gel depot co-encapsulating a near-infrared photothermal probe and anti-PD-L1 antibody demonstrated that mild photothermal heating can augment checkpoint blockade. Controlled on-demand release of antibody combined with fever-like heat was shown to recruit T cells, convert immunologically “cold” tumours to “hot” and potentiate anti-tumour immunity in murine models.
Early pioneering work on photothermal immunotherapy co-encapsulated a clinical photothermal dye with a TLR-7 agonist in biodegradable polymer nanoparticles. When used with CTLA-4 blockade, this strategy eradicated primary lesions, inhibited metastases and induced immunological memory, illustrating a versatile platform for multi-component nanovaccines.
Cancer Therapy publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in cancer therapy across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Cytotoxic chemotherapy: Systemic drugs that kill rapidly dividing cells by disrupting DNA replication or mitosis.
Targeted therapy: Agents designed to inhibit specific molecular drivers of tumour growth, such as kinases or surface receptors.
Immune checkpoint inhibitor: Antibodies that block inhibitory pathways (e.g., PD-1/PD-L1, CTLA-4) to enhance T-cell responses.
Angiogenesis: The process by which tumours induce new blood vessel formation to sustain growth and metastasis.
Photothermal therapy: Use of near-infrared-absorbing agents to generate localised hyperthermia and trigger immunogenic cell death.
Nanomedicine: Application of nanoscale carriers to improve drug delivery, tumour targeting and therapeutic index.
Monoclonal antibody: A lab-derived protein that binds a single target antigen, used in targeted and immune therapies.
Tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI): Small molecules that block kinase activity essential for oncogenic signalling.
References
- Cyclodextrin-based host-guest complexes loaded with regorafenib for colorectal cancer treatment. Nature Communications (2021).
- Mild photothermal therapy potentiates anti-PD-L1 treatment for immunologically cold tumors via an all-in-one and all-in-control strategy. Nature Communications (2019).
- Photothermal therapy with immune-adjuvant nanoparticles together with checkpoint blockade for effective cancer immunotherapy. Nature Communications (2016).
- Angiogenic signaling pathways and anti-angiogenic therapy for cancer. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy (2023).
- A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials on the Efficacy and Safety of CRLX101 Cyclodextrin-Based Nanomedicine for Cancer Treatment. Pharmaceutics (2023).
- Photosensitizer Micelles Together with IDO Inhibitor Enhance Cancer Photothermal Therapy and Immunotherapy. Advanced Science (2018).
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