Adding Nanotechnology to the Metastasis Treatment Arsenal

Publication date: Available online 7 May 2019Source: Trends in Pharmacological SciencesAuthor(s): Debarshi Banerjee, Artur Cieslar-Pobuda, Geyunjian Harry Zhu, Emilia Wiechec, Hirak K. PatraMetastasis is a major cause of cancer-related mortality, accounting for 90% of cancer deaths. The explosive growth of cancer biology research has revealed new mechanistic network information and pathways that promote metastasis. Consequently, a large number of antitumor agents have been developed and tested for their antimetastatic efficacy. Despite their exciting cytotoxic effects on tumor cells in vitro and antitumor activities in preclinical studies in vivo, only a few have shown potent antimetastatic activities in clinical trials. In this review, we provide a brief overview of current antimetastatic strategies that show clinical efficacy and review nanotechnology-based approaches that are currently being incorporated into these therapies to mitigate challenges associated with treating cancer metastasis.
Source: Trends in Pharmacological Sciences - Category: Drugs & Pharmacology Source Type: research