ABSTRACT
Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive disease with a five-year survival rate of less than 5%, which is associated with late presentation. Research into nanomedicine and the use of nanoparticles as therapeutic agents for cancers has increased. This chapter describes the developments on the use of nanoparticles and evaluates the risks and benefits of nanoparticles as an emerging therapy for pancreatic cancer. Increased efficacy of treatment with nanoparticles may improve the clinical outcomes and quality of life in patients with pancreatic cancer, although the long-term side effects are yet to be defined. Nanomedicine is the use of nanoparticles in medicine, and they can be attached to lipids or form polymers to encapsulate drugs to increase drug solubility, permeability, and delivery to target cells leading to higher therapeutic efficiency. Alternatively, nanoparticles can be used to actively target tumor cells by combination of specific recognition motifs such as antibodies and sugar molecules within nanomedicine formulations.
