Cancer and tumor have been major reasons for numerous deaths in this century across the world. Many strategies have been designed to treat, diagnose, or prevent cancer. The success of chemotherapy largely depends on drug targeting. The advent of nanotechnology has vastly improved drug delivery for targeting and diagnosis. Nevertheless, the accuracy of drug targeting with polymeric nanoparticles has always been questionable. The polymeric nanoparticles synthesized from varieties of lipid-based compounds or combined with vectors, such as liposomes, ethosomes, and transfersomes, may allow the drug to overcome the issue of resistance to drug absorption in biological membranes. The combined effects of lipid-based nanocarriers are known to improve the efficacy and accuracy of polymeric nanoparticles. The present review explores the application of lipid based nanocarriers in the treatment and diagnosis of cancer A special focus is given to the use of lipid-based nanocarriers in the treatment, diagnosis, and mitigation of cancer located in blood, brain, lung, and colon. The treatment of these cancers has always been questionable as the chances of relapse are very high. The review encompasses the use of lipid-based nanocarriers in targeting tissue-specific cancer cells.
* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.