Nanoparticulate immunotherapy for cancer

Although surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy have significantly improved as treatments for cancer, they can rarely control metastatic disease and cures remain scarce. Promising recent developments suggest that cancer immunotherapy may become a powerful new therapy that clinicians can offer cancer patients. The opportunity to orchestrate the body's own immune system to target, fight, and eradicate cancer cells without destroying healthy cells makes this an extremely attractive treatment modality. Our increased knowledge in anti-tumor immunity and the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) has provided many therapeutic strategies to battle cancer. That combined with advancements in the field of particulate delivery systems provide a mechanismto deliver these immunotherapeutics to their specific targeted cells and the TME. In this review we will focus on the current status of immunotherapy and the potential advantages of utilizing nanocarriers within the field. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.