Open Access

REVIEW

Emerging Nanocarrier Strategies for Optimized Drug Delivery in the Treatment of Primary Bone Cancer

Lindokuhle M. Ngema¹, Samson A. Adeyemi^1,2,*, Yahya E. Choonara^1,3,*

1 Wits Advanced Drug Delivery Platform Research Unit, Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, School of Therapeutic Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 7 York Road, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa
2 Department of Biomedical and Nutritional Sciences, Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA, USA
3 Infectious Diseases and Oncology Research Institute (IDORI), Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Parktown, Johannesburg, South Africa

* Corresponding Authors: Samson A. Adeyemi. Email: ; Yahya E. Choonara. Email:

(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Cancer Therapeutics)

Oncology Research 2026, 34(7), 9 https://doi.org/10.32604/or.2026.077723

Received 16 December 2025; Accepted 03 April 2026; Issue published 16 June 2026

Abstract

Primary bone cancer is a relatively rare malignant tumor that manifests in the bone and affects the normal functioning of the bone tissue. Primary bone cancer can be characterized into three subtypes, which are osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and Ewing sarcoma. Notably, the treatment of primary bone cancer with conventional modalities, like chemotherapy and surgical interventions, has been overwhelmed with dismal clinical outcomes. The conventional therapies are challenged with non-specificity, resulting in off-target effects and ultimate harm to healthy tissue. Particularly, chemotherapy as a first-line treatment option is riddled with poor drug bioavailability, limited tumor accumulation, and increasing drug resistance. Several innovative drug delivery systems, including nano-based carriers, have been investigated to overcome the systemic drug delivery challenges in primary bone cancer. Accordingly, with most reviews focusing on bone metastasis (secondary bone cancer), this current narrative review aims to provides critical insights on nanocarrier strategies for drug delivery in primary bone cancer, comprehensively expounding on the epidemiology, cellular mechanisms, and etiological effects of primary bone cancer, as well as the current therapies and new drug nanocarriers prototyped to optimize the clinical outcomes in bone cancer management.

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Keywords

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