Revisiting the ‘One Material Fits All’ Rule for Cancer Nanotherapy

The promise of (nano)biomaterials for the treatment of cancer can only be realized following a comprehensive scrutiny of the tumor microenvironment. The generic use of ‘inert’ vehicles that deliver a specific cargo to treat a range of cancer types and disease states obeys the ‘one material fits all’ rule. However, this approach leads to suboptimal and unpredictable clinical outcomes. The key factors constructing the tumor milieu should guide the design of disease-responsive materials. Given the growing availability of nanomaterials for cancer therapy, a material that responds to each patient's needs and, hence, reacts in a graded manner based on disease cues, would pave the way to precision materials for cancer therapy.