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Lead Author: Rabia Atif
Representation of a nanoparticle
Nanoparticles in Cancer immunotherapy
Nanoparticles in Cancer immunotherapy
Cancer is a disease that affects the everyday lives of most people. Those who do not have cancer themselves, most likely know someone who has or has had it. It can take over someone’s life just like that. Traditional cancer treatments can be effective, but they have intense side effects such as hair loss, nausea, and fatigue.
Cancer immunotherapy contains many advantages that traditional treatments do not have. This treatment uses the body’s own immune system to fight off cancerous cells. Often, it is used in combination with chemotherapy and radiation to get the most thorough treatment. This cancer treatment method became popular as it works significantly better than traditional methods. It helps to shrink existing cancerous tumors as well as preventing metastasis and recurrence.
Characteristics of Cancer Cells
Characteristics of Cancer Cells
Replicate rapidly and without control
Do not undergo apoptosis (controlled cell death)
Do not grow to be a mature cell
Evade immune system tactics
Easily spread throughout the body through the circulatory and lymphatic system
Damage healthy organs and tissues
tumors
tumors
A tumor is essentially an abnormal tissue growth. Tumors can be non-cancerous or benign. These types of tumors can be harmless. However, they can cause serious symptoms if in certain locations like the brain. Cancerous or malignant tumors spread to nearby tissue. They can even travel throughout the body, forming new tumors. This spreading of cancerous cells is called metastasis. (definition provided by National Cancer Institute)
The issue with immunotherapy is that it has limited delivery to the target cells. Cancer antigens, the molecules that fight off cancer cells, are delivered systemically. This means that the drug is delivered throughout the entire body and the cancerous cells are not directly targeted.
This lowers the effectiveness of this treatment, which is why it is often used in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation. It also increases the risk of side effects, a result of treatment associated toxicity.
In order to improve immunotherapy, there needs to be a better method of delivering cancer antigens to the targeted cancerous cells.
treatment associated Toxicity
treatment associated Toxicity
Chemotherapy harshly attacks quickly replicating cells, preventing them from duplicating further. Cancerous cells are not the only ones hit during this attack. Any quickly replicating cells, such as hair follicles and stomach linings, are attacked as well. This gives way to the widely known side effects of hair loss and nausea.
Another factor in treatment associated toxicity is radiation. Radiation is usually avoided; famous horror stories show speculation on what can happen if a person receives too much. However, the energy from radioactive particles can kill cancerous cells. Unfortunately, there are side effects. Radiation causes further illness with symptoms such as fatigue, fever, and nausea.
With both chemotherapy and radiation, the intensity of the side effects is dependent on the dose that is received. The higher the dose the patient gets, the more intense the side effects.
(information retrieved from Treatment-Associated Toxicities Reported by Patients with Early-Stage Invasive Breast Cancer)
A solution to this problem would be using nanoparticles (New opportunities for nanoparticles in cancer immunotherapy). Nanoparticles are what the name implies: extremely small particles of matter. They are made up of polymers, which are long chains of molecules. Scientists have been able to manipulate polymers and the nanoparticles created from them, meaning they can be used for a specific purpose.
Immunotherapy and nanoparticles
Immunotherapy and nanoparticles
Immunotherapy takes advantage of the immune system’s preexisting antitumor action. Molecules called antigens trigger an immune defense. The bulk of this immune defense lies in antibodies. Antibodies are what locate and destroy the sick cells, ridding the body of illness. Immunotherapy creates antigens that can be injected, triggering this immune response. Nanoparticles boost the effectiveness of this type of cancer therapy by targeting lymphoid tissue, where the bulk of immune cells are located. Targeting lymphoid tissue gives a direct line to antibody production, thus improving treatment.
Nanoparticle Immunotherapy; Courtesy of Shams, Golchin, Azari, et. al.
The size and shape of nanoparticles makes them a good candidate for immunotherapy. Their delivery mechanism works very well with the immune system. Cancer antigens are attached to the nanoparticles, which can then navigate the human body and deliver immunotherapeutic treatment directly to the area affected by the cancer.
This gives a more direct treatment than chemotherapy, radiation, and traditional immunotherapy. These more commonly used methods do work, but they require a higher dose than nanoparticle immunotherapy does, resulting in treatment associated toxicity.
Nanoparticles help avoid harmful side effects due to their more advanced targeting mechanisms. Additionally, they result in longer lasting effects than standard immunotherapy, further benefiting the patient.
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