International Journal of Nanomedicine (Jun 2017)
Future trends and emerging issues for nanodelivery systems in oral and oropharyngeal cancer
Abstract
Alexandra Iulia Irimie,1 Laura Sonea,2 Ancuta Jurj,3 Nikolay Mehterov,4,5 Alina Andreea Zimta,2,3 Liviuta Budisan,3 Cornelia Braicu,3 Ioana Berindan-Neagoe2,3,6 1Department of Prosthodontics and Dental Materials, Faculty of Dental Medicine, 2MedFuture Research Center for Advanced Medicine, 3Research Center for Functional Genomics and Translational Medicine, Iuliu Hatieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Cluj-Napoca, Romania; 4Department of Medical Biology, Medical University of Plovdiv, 5Technological Center for Emergency Medicine, Plovdiv, Bulgaria; 6Department of Functional Genomics and Experimental Pathology, Ion Chiricuta Oncology Institute, Cluj-Napoca, Romania Abstract: Oral cancer is a prevalent cancer type on a global scale, whose traditional treatment strategies have several drawbacks that could in the near future be overcome through the development of novel therapeutic and prognostic strategies. Nanotechnology provides an alternative to traditional therapy that leads to enhanced efficiency and less toxicity. Various nanosystems have been developed for the treatment of oral cancer, including polymeric, metallic, and lipid-based formulations that incorporate chemotherapeutics, natural compounds, siRNA, or other molecules. This review summarizes the main benefits of using these nanosystems, in parallel with a particular focus on the issues encountered in medical practice. These novel strategies have provided encouraging results in both in vitro and in vivo studies, but few have entered clinical trials. The use of nanosystems in oral cancer has the potential of becoming a valid therapeutic option for patients suffering from this malignancy, considering that clinical trials have already been completed and others are currently being developed. Keywords: oral cancer, nanoparticle, lipidic nanosystems, polymeric micelles, dendrimers
