An update review of smart nanotherapeutics and liver cancer: opportunities and challenges

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common form of primary liver cancer, typically diagnosed in advanced stages. Chemotherapy is necessary for treating advanced liver cancer; however, several challenges affect its effectiveness. These challenges include low specificity, high dosage requirements, high systemic toxicity and severe side effects, which significantly limit the efficacy of chemotherapy. These limitations can hinder the treatment of HCC. This review focuses on the prevalence of HCC, different types of liver cancer and the staging of the disease, along with available treatment methods. Additionally, explores recent and relevant studies on smart drug- and gene-delivery systems specifically designed for HCC. These systems include targeted endogenous and exogenous stimuli-responsive platforms. Plain language summary Liver cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the world that is usually diagnosed in the last stages. Chemotherapy is commonly used to treat advanced liver cancer, but it faces several challenges that reduce its effectiveness. These challenges include low specificity (not targeting cancer cells specifically), high dosage requirements and side effects that can affect anywhere in the body. As a result, the efficacy of chemotherapy is significantly limited, making it difficult to treat liver cancer. This review discusses the prevalence of liver cancer, different types of liver cancer and how the disease is staged. It also explores various treatment methods available for liver cancer. Furthermore, the article explores recent and relevant studies on smart drug- and gene-delivery systems that are specifically designed to target liver cancer. These systems include platforms that respond to targeted and internal or external stimuli. They aim to improve the effectiveness of treatment for liver cancer.