Nanomedicine-Mediated Therapies to Target Cancer Stem Cells: An Emerging Technology

Abstract

Cancer stem cells (CSCs) are a category of cancer cells endowed with the ability to renew themselves, undergo unregulated growth, and exhibit a differentiation capacity akin to that of normal stem cells. CSCs have been linked with tumor metastasis and cancer recurrence due to their ability to elude immune monitoring. As a result, targeting CSCs specifically may improve the efficacy of cancer therapy. Recently, the use of nanotechnology has gained substantial attention in cancer treatment. Cancer nanotechnology is an interdisciplinary field of research where nano-biotechnology fosters the combination of diagnostics and treatments, which is an important part of a personalized approach to cancer treatment. Thus, using nanoparticles against cancer cells and CSCs simultaneously may lead to the development of a better therapeutic intervention to eradicate cancer. In this review, we describe recent achievements in cancer therapy targeting CSCs of various malignancies, such as lung cancer, breast cancer, colorectal cancer, and prostate cancer, by using nanotechnology.