Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems in urologic oncology: From targeted therapy to precision theranostics.

In recent years, nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have demonstrated significant potential in the diagnosis and treatment of urologic malignancies. Common urinary system tumors, including prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and renal cell carcinoma, are characterized by high recurrence rates, strong drug resistance, and limited diagnostic sensitivity, posing substantial challenges to effective clinical management. Compared with conventional therapeutic approaches, nanoparticles-through enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effects, surface ligand modifications, and controlled release capabilities-enable precise drug accumulation at tumor sites, thereby enhancing efficacy while minimizing systemic toxicity. This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent advances in inorganic (e.g., gold, silver, magnetic, mesoporous silica), organic (e.g., liposomes, PLGA, dendrimers), and hybrid nanoparticle platforms for urologic cancers. It highlights their multifaceted roles in targeted chemotherapy, immunotherapy, gene delivery, photothermal/photodynamic therapy, multimodal imaging, and integrated theranostic strategies. Additionally, the article critically analyzes key challenges in clinical translation, including long-term biocompatibility, immune activation, in vivo clearance, and scalable production. Finally, it discusses future directions such as stimuli-responsive nanoplatforms, personalized precision medicine, and synergistic multimodal technologies. This review aims to provide a theoretical foundation and technical reference for the clinical transformation of nanomedicine in urologic oncology.