Research progress in multifunctional nanomedicine for the combination of tumor chemotherapy and immunotherapy

Although the combination of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy is the main methods of cancer treatment, it still fails to solve certain tumors, especially metastatic tumors. With the in-depth study of tumorigenesis and development mechanism, and the exploration and clinical application of tumor immunotherapy, the survival period of patients with malignant tumors has been significantly prolonged. Tumor immunotherapy has become an effective anti-tumor method by activating the body′s own immune system to achieve tumor suppression. The combination of chemotherapy and immunotherapy has a significant effect and has become a feasible solution for cancer treatment. The rationally designed nanomedicines can effectively combine chemical drugs and immunological preparations, and have become an effective delivery carrier basis and treatment means for clinically targeting tumor tissues, synergistic immune mechanisms to kill tumor cells, and treating tumors. In this paper, the types of multifunctional nanomedicines used in chemotherapy and various immunotherapies in recent years and their advantages in cancer therapy were reviewed. Key words: Nanomedicine; Cancer therapy; Immunotherapy; Chemotherapy; Combined treatment