• Nano-drug delivery systems significantly enhance the therapeutic index of anticancer drugs by improving targeted delivery and reducing off-target effects.
• Active targeting strategies using ligands and antibodies have shown superior tumor accumulation and cellular uptake compared to passive targeting.
• The tumor microenvironment, including factors like pH and hypoxia, can be exploited for stimuli-responsive drug release, increasing treatment precision.
• Despite promising preclinical results, clinical translation of NDDS faces challenges such as scale-up, regulatory hurdles, and long-term safety concerns.