Nanomedicine Interventions in Clinical Trials for the Treatment of Metastatic Breast Cancer

Rita Moreira,Andreia Granja,Marina Pinheiro,Salette Reis

doi:10.3390/app11041624

Abstract

Breast cancer was responsible for the deaths of 626,679 women in 2018. After decades of research, the mortality rates remain high. While the barrier of selectively killing tumor cells is not yet overcome, the search for targeted therapeutics continues. The use of nanomedicine in cancer treatment has opened up new possibilities for more precise drug-delivery systems. This review aimed to gather information and analyze recent clinical trials evaluating the therapeutic effects of nanoparticles in the treatment of metastatic breast cancer. To accomplish this, the clinicaltrials.gov database was consulted, and after employing specific exclusion criteria, 11 clinical trials were selected. Nanoparticle albumin-stabilized paclitaxel was evaluated in ten clinical trials and paclitaxel-incorporating polymeric micelles were assessed in one clinical trial. Overall, this review confirmed a clinical benefit in the use of nanoparticle albumin-stabilized paclitaxel for the treatment of breast cancer, with reduced toxicity when compared to first-line treatments. Three studies did not meet the primary endpoint, however, and so the authors advised further evaluations. Although the use of nanomedicine is revolutionizing the cancer field, to integrate this regimen into generalized clinical treatment, additional clinical trials must be performed to achieve a favorable safety and efficacy profile.

Highlights

Accepted: 8 February 2021Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally
The search of literature for this review was made on the pubmed.gov database with the search terms: “metastatic breast cancer” OR “breast cancer” OR “triple-negative breast cancer”, “epidemiology”, “treatment” OR “therapy”, “nanoparticles” OR “nanomedicine”, “paclitaxel”, “nab-paclitaxel” OR “nanoparticle albumin-stabilized paclitaxel”
In the search for this review, 75 clinical trials were found from the database on clinicaltrials.gov

Summary

Introduction

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in women (Figure 1) [1]. In the year 2018, 2.1 million women were diagnosed, and 626,679 women died due to this disease [2]. Despite the mortality rate remaining high, a declining trend has been observed for the last two decades due to early diagnosis, improved detection methods, and more sophisticated treatments [3]. Countries with premature implementation and high attendance of breast screenings have shown the highest decreases in mortality rate, despite the increasing incidence of cancers with low aggressive potential [4]. A high mortality rate persists, possibly due the lack of therapeutic agents that act only on the target cells without damaging healthy cells [5]

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion