Cancer is a complex systemic disorder that affects many organs and tissues and arises from the altered function of multiple cellular and molecular mechanisms. One of the systems malfunctioning in cancer is the immune system. Restoring and improving the ability of the immune system to effectively recognize and eradicate cancer is the main focus of immunotherapy, a topic which has garnered recent and significant interest. The initial excitement about immunotherapy, however, has been challenged by its limited efficacy in certain patient populations and the development of adverse effects such as therapeutic resistance and autoimmunity. At the same time, a number of advances in the field of nanotechnology have sought to address the challenges faced by modern immunotherapeutics and allow these therapeutic strategies to realize their full potential. This endeavour requires an understanding of not only the immunological barriers in cancer but also the mechanisms by which modern technologies and immunotherapeutics modulate the function of the immune system. Herein, we summarize the major barriers relevant to cancer immunotherapy and review current progress in addressing these obstacles using various approaches and clinically approved therapies. We then discuss the remaining challenges and how they can be addressed by nanotechnology. We lay out translational considerations relevant to the therapies described and propose a framework for the development of next-generation nanotechnology-enabled immunotherapies.

癌症是一种复杂的系统性疾病，会影响许多器官和组织，并且是由多种细胞和分子机制的功能改变引起的。免疫系统是癌症失灵的系统之一。恢复和提高免疫系统有效识别和根除癌症的能力是免疫疗法的主要焦点，这一话题已引起了近期的广泛关注。然而，关于免疫疗法的最初兴奋已经受到其在某些患者人群中有限的功效以及诸如治疗抗性和自身免疫之类的副作用的发展的挑战。同时，纳米技术领域的许多进步试图解决现代免疫疗法所面临的挑战，并使这些疗法能够发挥其全部潜力。这项工作不仅需要了解癌症的免疫屏障，还需要了解现代技术和免疫疗法调节免疫系统功能的机制。本文中，我们总结了与癌症免疫疗法有关的主要障碍，并回顾了使用各种方法和临床认可的疗法解决这些障碍的当前进展。然后，我们讨论剩余的挑战以及如何通过纳米技术解决它们。我们提出了与所描述的疗法相关的翻译注意事项，并提出了开发下一代纳米技术支持的免疫疗法的框架。