Description

1.1 Introduction

Cancer represents a major public health problem worldwide, being the first leading cause of death in people below the age of 70 in North America, Canada, Australia, China, and numerous European countries. With the increase in population and life expectancy, it is predicted that the incidence of cancer will rise in the following years, reaching 28.4 million cases annually worldwide by 2040(Sung et al., 2021). In this context, finding effective therapies for cancer is crucial for reducing the medical and economic burden of this disease. Conventional cancer therapies include surgery, radiotherapy, and/or chemotherapy. Among these, chemotherapy is widely used but presents various side effects that can limit patient compliance and adherence (Femi-Ola, 2023).Moreover, cancer cells can develop chemotherapy resistance through many mechanisms, rendering it ineffective. Recently, non-coding RNAs such as micro RNAs (miRNA) and small interfering RNAs (siRNA) have been studied for their potential as novel cancer treatments due to their capacity to regulate gene transcription (Cuciniello et al., 2021).However, their applicability is limited too by their low stability, high costs, and immunological adverse reactions. In recent years, nanotechnology has emerged as a tool for cancer treatment, promising improved therapeutic outcomes for both chemotherapy and RNA-based therapy, by delivering therapeutic agents in close proximity to the tumor using nano drug delivery systems (DDSs). Nano DDSs generally range in size between 10 and 100 nm, which allows sufficientcirculation time and accumulation in the tumor tissue due to the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect (Vangijzegem et al., 2023).