Another modality to treat esophageal cancer?

New Generation of Gold Nanoshell-Coated Esophageal Stent: Preparation and Biomedical Applications

Esophageal cancer is one of the six most common cancers in the world, constituting ∼7% of the gastrointestinal cancers. Esophageal stents can be inserted into the esophagus to open the pathway as a palliative treatment for advanced esophageal cancer. For the treatment of esophageal cancer, a series of anticancer drug-loaded stents such as paclitaxel or 5-fluorouracil/esophageal stent combinations have been prepared by covering a nitinol stent with a polymer or hydrogel shell. For the first time, we developed a gold nanoshell (AuNS)-coated stent with high photothermal efficiency and used in the repetitive photothermal therapy of esophageal cancer. The functionalized stent was prepared by using surface-coated polydopamine as the Au³⁺ anchor and template. The thickness of the AuNS can be easily adjusted by controlling the reaction time and amount of Au³⁺. The AuNS-coated stent efficiently increased the temperature of pork and porcine intestines irradiated with a near-infrared (NIR) laser. The deep penetration of the NIR laser and excellent stability of the stent provide opportunity for the clinical applications of the newly functionalized stent. In vitro toxicity experiments showed excellent biocompatibility and safety of this device. Compared with bare metal stent, AuNS-modified stent exhibits great potential to open the duct passageway and suppress tumor growth in future clinical applications.