Cancer therapy is a global biomedical challenge, and
a number of
promising anticancer therapeutics, such as small-molecule drugs, proteins,
nucleic acids, photothermal agents, etc., have been
developed or are in development. However, the direct administration
of anticancer therapeutics often fails to achieve the desired therapeutic
efficacy due to their low bioavailability and poor tissue selectivity,
leading to relapse or severe side effects such as immunosuppression,
chronic inflammatory responses, mutagenesis, and long-term tissue
dysfunction. Polymers offer multiple advantageous properties for the
delivery of anticancer therapeutics but are generally poorly targeted
to the tumor microenvironment (TME). The relatively lower acidity
of the TME compared to normal tissue provides an intrinsic yet highly
specific trigger for the development of polymers for the targeted
delivery of anticancer therapeutics. Here, we summarize the exquisite
strategies for the synthesis of TME acidity-sensitive polymers, elucidate
the mechanisms of the polymers’ response to TME acidity, and
highlight the applications of the polymers for the delivery of various
anticancer therapeutics. Moreover, the potential challenges in translating
the polymers into clinical practice are discussed.