Nanomedicine greatly improves the efficiency in the delivery of
antitumor drugs into the
tumor, but insufficient tumoral penetration impairs the therapeutic efficacy of most nanomedicines. Vascular disrupting agent (VDA) nanomedicines are distributed around the
tumor vessels due to the low tissue penetration in solid
tumors, and the released drugs can selectively destroy immature
tumor vessels and block the supply of
oxygen and nutrients, leading to the internal
necrosis of the
tumors. VDAs can also improve the vascular permeability of the
tumor, further increasing the extravasation of VDA nanomedicines in the
tumor site, markedly reducing the dependence of nanomedicines on the enhanced permeability and retention effect (EPR effect). This review highlights the progress of VDA nanomedicines in recent years and their application in
cancer therapy. First, the mechanisms of different VDAs are introduced. Subsequently, different strategies of delivering VDAs are described. Finally, multiple combination strategies with VDA nanomedicines in
cancer therapy are described in detail.