Reactive oxygen species-based nanotherapeutics for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the most common type of head and neck cancer (HNC). Conventional treatment of HNSCC involves surgical removal, together with or without chemoradiotherapy. Because of the special location of head and neck tumors, trauma of surgical intervention often impairs physiological functions and causes disfigurement, seriously affecting the quality of life of HNSCC patients. High levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been reported to cause cancer cell death by inducing apoptosis, autophagy, necroptosis and ferroptosis. Based on this, some non-invasive nanotherapeutics have aroused considerable attention, which could promote the generation of ROS with or without external stimuli, damaging biological macromolecules to kill cancer cells. Herein, the authors present the mechanisms of ROS-based cancer therapy and summarize different nanotherapeutics against HNSCC, including photodynamic therapy (PDT), sonodynamic therapy (SDT), radiation therapy (RT), and chemodynamic therapy (CDT). Furthermore, ROS-sensitive drug release nanosystems and some synergistic therapeutic modalities for HNSCC are reviewed. Finally, challenges and future perspectives of these treatments are also discussed for further research directions, which can facilitate the development of ROS-based nanotherapeutics for clinical application.

Keywords

• Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma
• Reactive oxygen species
• Nanotherapeutics
• Synergistic therapy
• Photodynamic therapy