An overview of the feasibility of nanomedicine in pancreatic cancer theranostics

Abstract

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is among the top causes of cancer-induced mortality, frequently diagnosed too late to be treated effectively, due to the poor prognosis and the limited successful therapeutic options. Apart from the conventional treatments, new multimodal therapies have emerged utilizing different scientific fields for the improvement of the survival and quality of patients' lives. The advancement of nanotechnology leads the way to more personalized medicine and the use of targeted theranostics carriers for deep-seated cancers such as PDAC. New nanotechnology innovations such as specialized photo-sensitizing drug nanocarriers, can effectively improve photodynamic therapy (PDT) of PDAC and enhance phototherapy's action through surface plasmon resonance phenomenon, as another recently re-emerged non- or minimally invasive possible treatment of such diseases. Despite the scientific advancements, significant hurdles remain and many parameters need to be examined. However, the novel application of nano-biophotonic techniques and the convergence of different science fields offer promise for the treatment of difficult-to-treat diseases, like PDAC.

Keywords: Nanomedicine; pancreatic cancer; personalized medicine; photodynamic therapy; photothermal effect; plasmonic photothermal therapy.

Figure 1

Conventional treatment approaches for pancreatic cancer. Created in BioRender. (2025) https://BioRender.com/04rec1z

Figure 2

Timeline of the advancement of smart nanoparticles for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Reprinted from [77], CC BY

Figure 3

Schematic representation of the two main types of non-ionizing, monochromatic light therapy (phototherapy), namely the photodynamic and the plasmonic photothermal therapy of cancer. NPs: nanoparticles. Created in BioRender. (2025) https://BioRender.com/9keqyrb

Figure 4

Schematic representation of photothermal action enhancement, with the use of nanoparticles that will trigger apoptotic or necrotic processes ultimately resulting in the destruction of pancreatic tumors. Created in BioRender. (2025) https://BioRender.com/9h4bpxn