Nanotechnology-Mediated Targeted Delivery of Phytochemicals in Urological Cancers

Urological cancers, especially of the bladder and prostate, are still a mess to treat. Relapse is common. Side effects pile up. And for all the talk of precision medicine, many therapies still hit healthy tissue almost as hard as tumors. Phytochemicals often get pitched as a cleaner alternative. In lab studies, they stop cancer cells from dividing, push them toward self-destruction, and slow invasion. On paper, it sounds great. In practice, not so much. These compounds dissolve poorly, vanish quickly from circulation, and rarely reach tumors in meaningful amounts. Nanotechnology is now being sold as the fix. The idea is simple enough: wrap phytochemicals in nanoscale carriers, guide them to tumors, and control when the drug is released. This chapter takes a hard look at how that promise is playing out, covering lipid, polymeric, inorganic, and hybrid nanocarriers. It also tracks claims around better imaging, immune effects, gene delivery, and light-based therapies. Bibliometric data adds context, showing who is publishing, partnering, and setting the agenda. The takeaway is cautious optimism, not hype.