Trastuzumab‐based nanomedicines for breast cancer therapy: Recent advances and future opportunities

Abstract

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there are more than 2.3 million cases of breast cancer (BC) each year, with 80% of deaths occurring in low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Chemotherapeutic agents are used in the treatment of BC to kill or slow the growth of cancer cells. While they can be effective in many cases, they also have potential side effects. These include long‐term effects such as possible damage to healthy organs, limited efficacy, and resistance development. Trastuzumab (Tmab) offers superior treatment options due to low toxicity and high specificity for a target antigen. However, Tmab treatment, despite being available for the last two decades, has remained challenging and expensive to manage, and inaccessible to people in underserved communities. Therefore, it is necessary to ensure that such effective medication is within reach of those in need, regardless of social or economic class. Recent advances in nanomedicine have led to a growing number of studies that show promise in meeting these challenges through access to adequate anticancer drugs in LMICs. This review analyzes such reports while highlighting the progress of nanomedicine and anticancer drug systems and presents opportunities that have been overlooked over the years for LMICs.