Nanomedicine hitchhiking on bacteria for treating tumors

Nanomedicine has shown promising therapeutic potential in cancer treatment, with clinically approved formulations such as Doxil® and Abraxane® already providing tangible benefits to patients. However, challenges such as low targeting efficiency and poor tumor penetration limit its application. Bacteria have emerged as promising drug delivery carriers due to their capacity for autonomous navigation and deep penetration into hypoxic tumor parenchyma. Therefore, utilizing bacteria as carriers for nanomedicine can partially overcome the limitations of anti-tumor nanomedicine. Moreover, some bacteria, like Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli, exhibit immunostimulatory and oncolytic effects and can synergistically enhance the anti-tumor effects of nanomedicine. This article summarizes common types of bacteria and nanomedicines and their respective advantages and challenges in cancer treatment. It elaborates on various strategies for combining bacteria and nanomedicine under different administration routes, outlining the clinical progress and challenges of bacterial anti-tumor therapy and outlooking for future applications of utilizing bacteria as carriers for nanomedicine in cancer treatment.