Customizing cancer treatment at the nanoscale: a focus on anaplastic thyroid cancer therapy

J Nanobiotechnology. 2023 Oct 13;21(1):374. doi: 10.1186/s12951-023-02094-9.

Abstract

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare but highly aggressive kind of thyroid cancer. Various therapeutic methods have been considered for the treatment of ATC, but its prognosis remains poor. With the advent of the nanomedicine era, the use of nanotechnology has been introduced in the treatment of various cancers and has shown great potential and broad prospects in ATC treatment. The current review meticulously describes and summarizes the research progress of various nanomedicine-based therapeutic methods of ATC, including chemotherapy, differentiation therapy, radioiodine therapy, gene therapy, targeted therapy, photothermal therapy, and combination therapy. Furthermore, potential future challenges and opportunities for the currently developed nanomedicines for ATC treatment are discussed. As far as we know, there are few reviews focusing on the nanomedicine of ATC therapy, and it is believed that this review will generate widespread interest from researchers in a variety of fields to further expedite preclinical research and clinical translation of ATC nanomedicines.

Keywords: Anaplastic thyroid cancer; Clinical application; Nanomaterials; Nanomedicine; Therapeutic mechanism.

Publication types

  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Combined Modality Therapy
  • Humans
  • Iodine Radioisotopes
  • Prognosis
  • Thyroid Carcinoma, Anaplastic* / drug therapy
  • Thyroid Carcinoma, Anaplastic* / genetics
  • Thyroid Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Thyroid Neoplasms* / genetics

Substances

  • Iodine Radioisotopes