Nanotechnology-Based Drug Delivery for Melanoma Treatment

Melanoma is among the most aggressive forms of skin cancer, characterised by rapid proliferation, early metastasis and resistance to conventional chemotherapeutics. Surgical excision remains the primary treatment for early-stage disease, but advanced melanoma often requires systemic therapy that can be limited by off-target toxicity and poor drug accumulation in tumour lesions. Nanotechnology offers a transformative approach by encapsulating anticancer agents within nanoscale carriers that exploit the enhanced permeability and retention effect to preferentially accumulate in tumour tissue, while protecting healthy organs from cytotoxic injury. Diverse platforms—including liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles and nanoemulsions—enable controlled release, surface functionalisation for active targeting and co-delivery of synergistic drug combinations. Recent advances have further integrated imaging, photothermal and photodynamic modalities into multifunctional constructs, paving the way for personalised theranostics. By improving pharmacokinetics, enhancing cellular uptake and enabling stimulus-responsive release, nanotechnology-based systems hold promise to overcome current therapeutic barriers, reduce systemic side effects and improve survival outcomes for patients with metastatic melanoma.

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Nanotechnology-Based Drug Delivery for Melanoma Treatment publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in nanotechnology-based drug delivery for melanoma treatment across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Nanoparticle: A particle with dimensions in the 1–100 nm range used to encapsulate or conjugate therapeutic agents for targeted delivery.

Liposome: A spherical vesicle composed of one or more phospholipid bilayers, capable of carrying hydrophilic and hydrophobic drugs.

Polymeric nanocarrier: A drug delivery vehicle formed from biodegradable polymers that self-assemble into nanoparticles for controlled release and targeting.

Nanoemulsion: A thermodynamically stable dispersion of oil and water phases, stabilised by surfactants, for improved solubility and co-delivery of drugs.

Enhanced permeability and retention effect (EPR): The propensity of nanoparticles to accumulate in tumour tissue due to leaky vasculature and impaired lymphatic drainage.

Photothermal therapy: A treatment modality in which nanoparticles convert absorbed light into heat to induce selective tumour cell death.

References

1. Self-assembled polymeric nanocarrier-mediated co-delivery of metformin and doxorubicin for melanoma therapy. Drug Delivery (2021).
2. Nanoemulsions as Delivery Systems for Poly-Chemotherapy Aiming at Melanoma Treatment. Cancers (2020).
3. How to Treat Melanoma? The Current Status of Innovative Nanotechnological Strategies and the Role of Minimally Invasive Approaches like PTT and PDT. Pharmaceutics (2022).