A Comprehensive Review on the Recent Advances in Prostate and Breast Cancer Research: Overview, Potential Treatment, and Perspectives

The therapeutic limitations of conventional cancer treatments currently deployed are driving the development and creation of new nanodrugs. Significant advances have been made in understanding the biology of various cancers, as well as in the development of imaging technologies and therapeutic approaches. Subsequently, cancer management has evolved rapidly, with profound research undertakings focused on elucidating the genomic landscape and oncogenesis of localized and metastatic cancers. Prostate cancer (PCa) is a prevalent clinical problem in older men with a significant global incidence, with 1.5 million cases reported in 2022. Breast cancer (BC) is also a considerable health burden among women worldwide, with reports showing over 67000 deaths in 2022. Generally, across the world, these cancers have posed a significant health burden due to limited access to treatment options, high incidence rates, and mortality rates occasioned by lifestyle and genetic factors. Accordingly, this review covers a nuanced and insightful overview of the available cancer treatment options, such as radiation therapy, surgery, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies, focusing on PCa and BC. The current treatment strategies face therapeutic challenges related to accessibility issues, drug resistance, and side effects. The emergence of nanomedicine and artificial intelligence (AI) models in imaging, therapy, and drug delivery seems to offer solutions related to these challenges. Nanomedicine is a growing research hotspot, with an increasing number of publications featuring keywords such as “prodrug,” “cancer nanomedicine,” “cancer immunotherapy,” “artificial intelligence,” and “targeted nanomedicine.” The nanotechnologies utilized in cancer treatment reduce side effects, enhance treatment efficacy, and improve patient outcomes. Combining nanomedicine with conventional therapies holds promise in revolutionizing cancer treatment and addressing the clinical challenges of current therapies. Keywords: Prostate cancer; breast cancer; oncogenesis; mortality rates; targeted therapies; nanomedicine