Insights into Nanomedicine for Head and Neck Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

Abstract

Head and neck cancers rank sixth among the most common cancers today, and the survival rate has remained virtually unchanged over the past 25 years, due to late diagnosis and ineffective treatments. They have two main risk factors, tobacco and alcohol, and human papillomavirus infection is a secondary risk factor. These cancers affect areas of the body that are fundamental for the five senses. Therefore, it is necessary to treat them effectively and non-invasively as early as possible, in order to do not compromise vital functions, which is not always possible with conventional treatments (chemotherapy or radiotherapy). In this sense, nanomedicine plays a key role in the treatment and diagnosis of head and neck cancers. Nanomedicine involves using nanocarriers to deliver drugs to sites of action and reducing the necessary doses and possible side effects. The main purpose of this review is to give an overview of the applications of nanocarrier systems to the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer. Herein, several types of delivery strategies, radiation enhancement, inside-out hyperthermia, and theragnostic approaches are addressed.

Keywords: drug delivery; head and neck cancer; hyperthermia; nanocarrier; nanomedicine; target therapeutic; theragnostic.

Figure 4

Drug delivery systems’ strategies for anticancer therapy: passive targeting and active targeting. Adapted with permission from [76].

Figure 1

Anatomical structures of head and neck.

Figure 2

Structures and organs of the upper aerodigestive tract.

Figure 3

Scientific areas contributing to the use of nanotechnology to nanomedicine.

Figure 5

Organic and inorganic nanosystems for drug delivery and diagnostic applications. Size range and different shapes of nanosystems.

Figure 6

Alterations in tumor growth over 5 weeks of treatment in 6 distinct groups of rats to study ways to overcome tumor radioresistance by increasing absorbed radiation in clinically relevant energy dosages using cetuximab carried by gold nanoparticles. Reprinted with permission from [125].

Figure 7

Nanotechnology in local hyperthermia: The nanoparticles are accumulated inside the tumor and are capable of absorbing energy from various external heat sources, thereby potentiating the effects of hyperthermia. On the right, in comparison with the left, it is possible see the effect that the nanoparticles have on heat in the tumor site. Nanoparticles focus the energy from the external source on the tumor to induce localized thermal destruction while minimizing the adverse effects on collateral tissues. Abbreviations: NPTT: nano-photo-thermal therapy. NMH: nano-magnetic hyperthermia. NaRFA: nano-radio-frequency ablation. NUH: nano-ultrasound hyperthermia. Reprinted with permission from [141].

Figure 8

Platelet-facilitated photothermal tumor therapy (PLT-PTT): Platelets (PLTs) after isolation in the blood were mixed with gold nanorods (AuNRs), which after an electroporation process, were taken up by the PLTs. The resulting AuNR-loaded PLTs (PLT-AuNRs) reached the tumor cells using in vivo photothermal tumor therapy (PTT). Reprinted with permission from [102].

Figure 9

Quadrapeutic strategy in cancer treatment: Systemic administration of gold colloids conjugated with antibodies and liposomal drugs to form nanoclusters in cancer cells; local application of a laser pulse through an endoscope to selectively generate plasmonic nanobubbles (PNBs) in cancer cells; selective amplification of radiation by the nanocluster in cancer cells. Reprinted with permission from [161].