Recent progresses on radiotherapeutics-based treatment of cancer with two-dimensional nanomaterials

Radiotherapy (RT) is among the most prevalent approaches to cancer treatment, yet it also causes severe side effects in patients that limit its efficacy and application. In recent decades, researchers have therefore been exploring nanoradio-sensitization strategies with the goal of providing safer and more effective therapy to those in need. In this context, there has been substantial recent interests in a range of two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials exhibiting unique structural, physiochemical, optical, thermal, chemical and X-ray attenuation properties, which can be leveraged to prepare tunable nanoplatforms for therapeutic drug, gene, and biomedical agent delivery to achieve exciting therapeutic treatments. The multifunctional properties of these nanomaterials can also enhance the overall efficacy of RT. Moreover, by integrating 2D nanomaterials with other functional nanomaterials could realize the goal of bioimaging-guided radio-related theranostics synergistically. Despite major advances in this field in the past decade, however, there have been few systematic reviews discussing 2D nanomaterial-based RT strategies to date. This review was therefore formulated to comprehensively discuss such strategies in three parts. First, the introduction and limitations of conventional RT are discussed. Then, efforts to use 2D nanomaterials to improve RT efficacy are summarized. Next, novel 2D nanomaterial-based synergistic strategies are surveyed, with a discussion of membrane-functionalized 2D nanomaterials and the effects of these materials on cellular metabolic activities. Lastly, the limitations and future clinical prospects associated with this field are discussed.