Ferroptosis, an iron-dependent programmed cell death mechanism, is regulated by distinct molecular pathways of lipid peroxidation caused by intracellular iron supplementation and glutathione (GSH) synthesis inhibition. It has attracted a great deal of attention as a viable alternative to typical apoptosis-based cancer therapy that exhibits drug resistance. For efficient therapeutic utilization of such a unique and desirable mechanism, precise control using various stimuli to activate the administered nanocarriers is essential. Specific conditions in the tumor microenvironment (e.g., acidic pH, high level of ROS and GSH, hypoxia, etc.) can be exploited as endogenous stimuli to ensure high specificity of the tumor site. Maximized spatiotemporal controllability can be assured by utilizing external energy sources (e.g., magnetic fields, ultrasound, microwaves, light, etc.) as exogenous stimuli that can provide on-demand remote controllability for customized deep tumor therapy with a low inter-patient variation. Strikingly, the utilization of dual endogenous and/or exogenous stimuli provides a new direction for efficient cancer therapy. This review highlights recent advances in the utilization of various endogenous and exogenous stimuli to activate the reactions of nanocarriers for ferroptosis-based cancer therapy that can inspire the field of cancer therapy, particularly for the treatment of intractable tumors.

Light has been utilized for cancer treatment owing to its advantages. Low penetration depth of light restricts its application in cancer treatment. To overcome the drawback, various treatments based on each energy sources have been developed.

One-dimensional (1-D) nanomaterials possess unique shape-dependent phyicochemical properties and are increasingly recognized as promising materials for nanotechnology. 1-D nanomaterials can be classified according to their shape, such as nanorods, nanotubes, nanowires, self-assembled nanochains, etc., and have been applied in electronics, photonics, and catalysis. The biological characteristics of 1-D nanomaterials, including high drug loading efficiency, prolonged blood circulation, the ability to capture cancer cells, unique cellular uptake mechanisms, efficient photothermal conversion, and material tunability, have aided in extending their potential to biomedical applications, particularly in cancer therapy and diagnosis. This review highlights a novel perspective on emerging 1-D nanomaterials for cancer therapy and diagnosis by introducing the definition of 1-D nanomaterials, their shape-dependent physicochemical properties, biomedical applications, and recent advances in cancer therapy and diagnosis. This review also proposes unexplored potential nanomaterial types and therapeutic applications for 1-D nanomaterials. In particular, the most significant and exciting advances in recent years, including ultrasound-enabled sonodynamic therapy, magnetic field-based therapy, and bioresponsive 1-D nanomaterials for intracellular self-assembly in situ, are discussed along with novel therapeutic concepts, such as piezoelectric 1-D nanomaterials, nanozyme-based nanomedicine, and others.