<p>Globally, lung cancer (LC) is the primary cause of death due to late diagnosis. Conventional therapy for lung cancer includes non-targeted release of drugs and inadequate absorption, leading to negative side effects. These challenges have driven interest in nanotechnology, the emerging research field with the greatest growth rate, which potentially addresses numerous biological issues related to lung cancer. Nanoparticles are essential in the field of drug delivery, as they are currently utilized extensively in lung cancer therapies for targeted cancer cell delivery and controlled release, providing novel treatments that focus on pathways that prevent tumor development and encourage apoptosis. Additionally, they demonstrate the encouraging possibilities of lung cancer treatments. This review focuses on describing the role of various nanoparticles (lipid-based, polymeric, metallic, and carbon-based) in lung cancer treatment, detailing how these nanoparticles interact with key pathways (e.g., MAPK, AKT/STAT, and TNFR pathways) and additional cellular and molecular mechanisms, such as oxidative stress, inflammation, and mitochondrial dysfunction. In addition, this review discusses the main experimental assays (MTT, ROS, DNA damage assays) that are used to evaluate efficacy and toxicity. Overall, nanoparticles offer a promising path for drug delivery, imaging, immunotherapy, gene therapy, and photothermal/photodynamic therapy applications in lung cancer treatment.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>