Introduction: Cancer remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, characterized by uncontrolled cell proliferation, metastasis, and evasion of apoptosis. Conventional therapies, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery, often face challenges such as systemic toxicity, limited tumor selectivity, and suboptimal efficacy. Recent advances in nanotechnology and genomics offer transformative strategies for early detection, targeted therapy, and personalized treatment. Nanomedicine utilizes nanoscale materials, including liposomes, dendrimers, quantum dots, and carbon nanotubes, to improve drug delivery, enhance imaging, and reduce adverse effects. Simultaneously, next-generation sequencing (NGS) provides comprehensive genomic profiling, enabling precise identification of somatic and germline mutations, minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring, and individualized therapeutic planning. This review summarizes current applications and progress in these interdisciplinary approaches for cancer management.
Methods: This review integrates data from published articles, clinical studies, and preclinical trials on nanoparticle-based interventions and NGS applications in cancer. Nanoparticles were evaluated for their physicochemical properties, targeting capabilities, and therapeutic potential, while NGS studies were analyzed for their role in mutation detection, hereditary cancer assessment, and minimal residual disease (MRD) monitoring. Comparative analyses focused on efficacy, safety, and translational relevance reported across multiple sources.
Results: Nanoparticle-mediated drug delivery enhances bioavailability, stability, and tumor specificity. Liposomal formulations, such as FDA-approved Marqibo for pediatric leukemia, and polymeric micelles improve solubility and controlled release. Magnetic NPs serve as both carriers and MRI contrast agents, whereas quantum dots and nanosensors enable early detection of biomarkers including HER2 and telomerase activity. Carbon nanotubes offer therapeutic versatility, functioning as drug carriers or selective tumor ablation agents. Pediatric oncology benefits particularly from these approaches, reducing chemotherapy-induced toxicity and improving quality of life.
NGS provides comprehensive genomic insights, identifying actionable mutations (EGFR, BRAF, ALK), germline variants (BRCA1/2, TP53), and monitoring MRD through ctDNA or CTC analysis. Whole-genome, whole-exome, and targeted panels enhance early detection, prognostic evaluation, and personalized therapy, overcoming limitations of single-gene assays. Liquid biopsies enable non-invasive, real-time monitoring of tumor heterogeneity and recurrence risk.
Conclusion: Collectively, nanotechnology and NGS represent transformative strategies in cancer management. NPs facilitate targeted therapy, early diagnosis, and even preventive interventions against carcinogenic agents, whereas NGS informs personalized treatment, risk assessment, and therapy monitoring. Despite these advances, challenges persist: nanotoxicity, biodistribution concerns, manufacturing complexity, and data interpretation hurdles in genomics require careful optimization. Future research should focus on integrating multifunctional nanoparticles with NGS-guided personalized medicine, leveraging AI and multi-omics approaches to enhance precision oncology. Continued interdisciplinary collaboration promises safer, more effective, and highly targeted cancer therapies, potentially improving outcomes for both adult and pediatric patients.
Keywords: Nanomedicine, oncology, Next-generation sequencing, cancer diagnosis.