Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a very aggressive and heterogeneous glioma. Currently, GBM is treated with a combination of surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy (e.g. temozolamide) and Tumour Treating Fields. Unfortunately, the mean survival is still around 15 months. This poor prognosis is associated with therapy resistance, tumor recurrence, and limited delivery of drugs due to the blood-brain barrier nature. Nanomedicine, the application of nanotechnology to medicine, has revolutionized many health fields, specifically cancer diagnosis and treatment. This review explores the particularities of different nanosystems (i.e., superparamagnetic, polymeric and gold nanoparticles, and liposomes) as well as how they can be applied to the treatment and diagnosis of GBM. As described, the most of the cited examples are on the preclinical phase; however, positive results were obtained and thus, the distance to achieve an effective treatment is shorter every day.
Keywords: Glioblastoma multiforme; gold nanoparticles; liposomes; nanosystems; polymeric nanoparticles; superparamagnetic nanoparticles.
Copyright © 2021 Amaral et al.