Nanomedicine initiates ferroptosis for enhanced lung cancer therapy

Lung cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, with persistently high morbidity and mortality rates. Despite years of research in the field, a complete cure for this disease remains elusive. Current clinical treatment options primarily include chemotherapy, surgery, and targeted drugs. However, these treatments are often limited by the highly metastatic nature of lung tumors and the development of drug resistance, resulting in suboptimal therapeutic outcomes. Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent cell death mechanism driven by lipid peroxidation, offers promising potential to overcome drug resistance in lung cancer. Recent advances in nanotechnology have enabled targeted delivery and precise regulation of ferroptosis pathways, addressing the limitations of conventional therapies. This review systematically summarizes current strategies utilizing nanomedicine to induce ferroptosis in lung cancer, with a focus on key molecular targets, such as GPX4, System Xc^-, and FSP1, as well as innovative delivery platforms including metal nanoparticles, nanozymes, and responsive liposomes. Unique challenges in pulmonary drug delivery, such as mucociliary clearance and oxidative microenvironments are also discussed, along with lung cancer-specific solutions like inhalable systems and tumor microenvironment remodeling. Furthermore, we compare ferroptosis nanotherapies across different cancers to highlight the distinctive innovations in lung cancer. This article provides a comprehensive overview of recent progress and proposes optimized strategies to enhance therapeutic efficacy, offering insights into the translational potential of ferroptosis-based nanomedicine in lung cancer treatment.