Abstract No. 558 - Magnetic nanoparticles and drug targeting: development, current use, and future roles in interventional oncology practice

Abstract

Learning ObjectivesTo review the development of magnetic nanoparticles as a targeted oncologic therapy, detail their potential use in drug delivery and thermotherapy, and educate interventional radiologists and trainees about their potential for future use in interventional oncologic procedures.BackgroundMagnetic nanoparticles and magnetic drug targeting (MDT) can be used for more targeted cancer treatments, such as targeting tumors that are located near important nerves or blood vessels. The more targeted therapeutic effect can decrease the systemic side effects that are seen with standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy, similar to how commonly used interventional oncology procedures such as embolization and ablation can deliver therapy to a tumor while minimizing systemic effects.Clinical Findings/Procedure DetailsMagnetic nanoparticles are approximately 100 nanometers in size and consist of an iron core surrounded by a polysaccharide shell. Chemotherapy medications can be bound to the particles through a reversible chemical bond. With MDT, a physician injects the nanoparticle-medication combination through a catheter placed in the artery feeding the tumor. An external magnetic field can be applied so that the nanoparticles highly target the location of the tumor. Once the particles have imbedded in and around the tumor, they slowly dissolve and begin a slow release of the chemotherapeutic agent. With thermotherapy, an external alternative magnetic field can be used to heat the nanoparticles (utilize temperatures of 42-45 degrees Celsius to cause apoptosis of cancer cells but still protect healthy adjacent tissue). The cancer cells have a greater sensitivity to hyperthermia compared to normal cells, thus tumor cells can be killed while protecting nearby normal tissue. In addition, the hyperthermia can make tumor cells more sensitive to the effects of radiation and/or chemotherapeutic agents. This differs from thermal ablation (i.e., radiofrequency and microwave ablation), where temperatures greater than 46 degrees Celsius are used to cause necrosis of cancer cells but these temperatures can also affect adjacent healthy tissues.ConclusionsNanoparticles and magnetic drug delivery have great potential for use in interventional oncology. Learning ObjectivesTo review the development of magnetic nanoparticles as a targeted oncologic therapy, detail their potential use in drug delivery and thermotherapy, and educate interventional radiologists and trainees about their potential for future use in interventional oncologic procedures. To review the development of magnetic nanoparticles as a targeted oncologic therapy, detail their potential use in drug delivery and thermotherapy, and educate interventional radiologists and trainees about their potential for future use in interventional oncologic procedures. BackgroundMagnetic nanoparticles and magnetic drug targeting (MDT) can be used for more targeted cancer treatments, such as targeting tumors that are located near important nerves or blood vessels. The more targeted therapeutic effect can decrease the systemic side effects that are seen with standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy, similar to how commonly used interventional oncology procedures such as embolization and ablation can deliver therapy to a tumor while minimizing systemic effects. Magnetic nanoparticles and magnetic drug targeting (MDT) can be used for more targeted cancer treatments, such as targeting tumors that are located near important nerves or blood vessels. The more targeted therapeutic effect can decrease the systemic side effects that are seen with standard chemotherapy and radiotherapy, similar to how commonly used interventional oncology procedures such as embolization and ablation can deliver therapy to a tumor while minimizing systemic effects. Clinical Findings/Procedure DetailsMagnetic nanoparticles are approximately 100 nanometers in size and consist of an iron core surrounded by a polysaccharide shell. Chemotherapy medications can be bound to the particles through a reversible chemical bond. With MDT, a physician injects the nanoparticle-medication combination through a catheter placed in the artery feeding the tumor. An external magnetic field can be applied so that the nanoparticles highly target the location of the tumor. Once the particles have imbedded in and around the tumor, they slowly dissolve and begin a slow release of the chemotherapeutic agent. With thermotherapy, an external alternative magnetic field can be used to heat the nanoparticles (utilize temperatures of 42-45 degrees Celsius to cause apoptosis of cancer cells but still protect healthy adjacent tissue). The cancer cells have a greater sensitivity to hyperthermia compared to normal cells, thus tumor cells can be killed while protecting nearby normal tissue. In addition, the hyperthermia can make tumor cells more sensitive to the effects of radiation and/or chemotherapeutic agents. This differs from thermal ablation (i.e., radiofrequency and microwave ablation), where temperatures greater than 46 degrees Celsius are used to cause necrosis of cancer cells but these temperatures can also affect adjacent healthy tissues. Magnetic nanoparticles are approximately 100 nanometers in size and consist of an iron core surrounded by a polysaccharide shell. Chemotherapy medications can be bound to the particles through a reversible chemical bond. With MDT, a physician injects the nanoparticle-medication combination through a catheter placed in the artery feeding the tumor. An external magnetic field can be applied so that the nanoparticles highly target the location of the tumor. Once the particles have imbedded in and around the tumor, they slowly dissolve and begin a slow release of the chemotherapeutic agent. With thermotherapy, an external alternative magnetic field can be used to heat the nanoparticles (utilize temperatures of 42-45 degrees Celsius to cause apoptosis of cancer cells but still protect healthy adjacent tissue). The cancer cells have a greater sensitivity to hyperthermia compared to normal cells, thus tumor cells can be killed while protecting nearby normal tissue. In addition, the hyperthermia can make tumor cells more sensitive to the effects of radiation and/or chemotherapeutic agents. This differs from thermal ablation (i.e., radiofrequency and microwave ablation), where temperatures greater than 46 degrees Celsius are used to cause necrosis of cancer cells but these temperatures can also affect adjacent healthy tissues. ConclusionsNanoparticles and magnetic drug delivery have great potential for use in interventional oncology. Nanoparticles and magnetic drug delivery have great potential for use in interventional oncology.