Abstract
Clinically, different approaches are adopted worldwide for the treatment of cancer, which still ranks second among all causes of death. Immunotherapy for cancer treatment has been the focus of attention in recent years, aiming for an eventual antitumoral effect through the immune system response to cancer cells both prophylactically and therapeutically. The application of nanoparticulate delivery systems for cancer immunotherapy, which is defined as the use of immune system features in cancer treatment, is currently the focus of research. Nanomedicines and nanoparticulate macromolecule delivery for cancer therapy is believed to facilitate selective cytotoxicity based on passive or active targeting to tumors resulting in improved therapeutic efficacy and reduced side effects. Today, with more than 55 different nanomedicines in the market, it is possible to provide more effective cancer diagnosis and treatment by using nanotechnology. Cancer immunotherapy uses the body’s immune system to respond to cancer cells; however, this may lead to increased immune response and immunogenicity. Selectivity and targeting to cancer cells and tumors may lead the way to safer immunotherapy and nanotechnology-based delivery approaches that can help achieve the desired success in cancer treatment.
Highlights
Cancer is a complex disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells and expansion of these abnormal cells in the body, which caused over 9.6 million deaths worldwide in 2017 alone [1]
In the chimeric antigen receptor (CAR-T) approach developed to overcome this limitation, T cells recognize cancer cells as MHC-independent. This approach is an example of personalized medicine practice and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have approved CAR-T therapeutic products Kymriah® and Yescarta® for use in lymphoma treatment [43]
The purpose of this review is to summarize the applications of cancer immunotherapy with a focus on nanosystems
Summary
Cancer is a complex disease characterized by uncontrolled growth of cells and expansion of these abnormal cells in the body, which caused over 9.6 million deaths worldwide in 2017 alone [1]. Other treatment methods in clinical practice are chemotherapy and radiotherapy and combinations of these approaches. The main reason for this failure is the systemic toxicity and undesired side effects caused by the treatment strategy, for chemotherapy. Immunotherapy, which has attracted attention in recent years, can be defined as the use of immune system features in cancer treatment [3]. Immunotherapy is defined as a type of biotherapy and is based on the sensitization of the patient’s immune system to cancer, which increases selectivity and reduces side effects [4]. As with other treatment methods, immunotherapy is subject to some limitations because it may impair immune homeostasis by causing an immune reaction that should not be employed against normal tissue. The advances and improvement in immunotherapy through nanotechnology and nanoparticulate delivery systems may have a positive impact on treatment success. The role and privileges of immunochemotherapy and nanoparticulate delivery systems in immunotherapy are summarized in the light of preclinical studies and recent literature
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