Engineering Nanoparticles for Gynecologic Cancer Therapy

The significant morbidity and mortality of gynecologic cancers places a substantial burden on global healthcare and creates an urgent need for new treatment modalities. Here, we explore the emerging role of nanoparticles in treating gynecologic cancers, specifically ovarian, cervical, and endometrial cancers. These diseases are often diagnosed after they have metastasized, developed multidrug resistance, and formed immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments, hampering the effectiveness of traditional debulking surgery and chemotherapy. We first discuss the gynecologic cancer-specific barriers to nanoparticle drug delivery, including systemic and off-target toxicity, peritoneal fluid shear and convective forces, stromal fibrosis, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironments. We then comprehensively analyze how various nanoparticle drug delivery platforms, such as liposomes, ionizable lipid nanoparticles, and layer-by-layer nanoparticles, have been engineered preclinically to selectively target tumor cells and increase retention within tumor lesions. Additionally, we examine the application of nanoparticles in delivering nucleic acids and immunotherapies, which can heat up immunologically cold tumors and tumor microenvironments to restore antitumor immune function. Despite promising preclinical results, additional efforts are needed to optimize nanoparticle design and ensure safe and effective translation into the clinic for all gynecologic cancers, and we conclude by discussing potential solutions to these barriers. Overall, this review explores the latest preclinical studies and emerging frontiers in nanoparticle therapies for gynecologic cancers, with a focus on efforts to overcome the disease-specific delivery challenges to effectively treat these lethal diseases.