a peptide targeted conjugate is disclosed . the conjugate comprises : an isolated or a synthetic targeting peptide of less than 15 amino acid residues in length , comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 90 % identity to a sequence selected from the group consisting of seq id nos : 1 , 2 and 3 ; and a component , to which the targeting peptide is conjugated , the component being selected from the group consisting of a drug delivery vehicle , an anti - cancer drug , a micelle , a nanoparticle , liposomes , a polymer , a lipid , an oligonucleotide , a peptide , a polypeptide , a protein , a cell , an imaging agent , and a labeling agent . the conjugate may further comprise an anti - cancer agent encapsulated within the drug delivery vehicle . compositions and methods of treating cancer are also disclosed .