Nanoparticles and nanothermia for malignant brain tumors, a suggestion of treatment for further investigations

Safety and Efficacy of 980nm Diode Laser for Brain Tumor Microsurgery-A Pioneer Case Series

BACKGROUND

Quality of life is essential for oncologic patients. Several tools are available to improve microsurgery and reduce morbidity. Diode laser is a precise and useful technology for microsurgery. The goal of this pioneer case series is to describe the oncologic use of the 980nm diode laser and the qualitative variables analyzed. Besides, review the current literature about lasers in neurosurgery.

METHODS

A longitudinal prospective study described patients with meningioma or glioma submitted to neurosurgical laser-assisted procedures. Also, we performed a review in medical databases using the terms "diode laser" and "neurosurgery."

RESULTS

No paper described the use of a diode laser in neurooncology. The 980nm diode laser was used in 15 patients. The device is thin, silent, and easy to handle. Excellent hemostasis was observed, especially in skull base meningiomas. Also, it was easy and fast to delimit tumor from normal brain tissue without damage to surrounding parenchyma. No postoperative complications occurred.

CONCLUSIONS

The diode laser is a useful tool for brain tumor surgery, particularly concerning hemostasis. Surgical site coagulation is effective without damage to adjacent structures, especially in gliomas near eloquent regions. We consider this technique a suitable adjuvant resource for brain tumor surgeries to provide an excellent hemostasis and help cut and vaporize a lesion.

Review of the Clinical Evidences of Modulated Electro-Hyperthermia (mEHT) Method: An Update for the Practicing Oncologist

Background: Modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) is a variation of the conventional hyperthermia which selectively targets the malignant cell membranes in order to heat the malignant tissue and sensitize the tissue to oncology treatments. Although widely applied, the formulation of guidelines for the use thereof is still in progress for many tumors. Aim: In this paper we review the literature on the effects of mEHT in cancer patients on local disease control and survival. Methodology: Our review on data presents the collected experience with capacitive hyperthermia treatments with the EHY-2000+ device (OncoTherm Ltd., Germany). A literature search was conducted in Pubmed and articles were grouped and discussed according to: trial type, animal studies, in vitro studies, and reviews. Search results from Conference Abstracts; Trial Registries; Thesis and Dissertations and the Oncothermia Journal were included in the discussions. Results: Modulated electro-hyperthermia is a safe form of hyperthermia which has shown to effectively sensitizes deep tumors, regardless of the thickness of the adipose layers. The technology has demonstrated equal benefits compared to other forms of hyperthermia for a variety of tumors. Given the effective heating ability to moderate temperatures, the improved tumor perfusion, and ability to increase drug absorption, mEHT is a safe and effective heating technology which can be easily applied to sensitize tumors which have demonstrated benefits with the addition of hyperthermia. Modulated electro-hyperthermia also appears to improve local control and survival rates and appears to induce an abscopal (systemic) response to ionizing radiation. Conclusion: Based on clinical studies, the method mEHT is a feasible hyperthermia technology for oncological applications. Concomitant utilization of mEHT is supported by the preclinical and clinical data.

Human Papillomavirus and the use of nanoparticles for immunotherapy in HPV-related cancer: A review

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) remains one of the most commonly contracted sexually transmitted diseases around the world. There are a multitude of HPV types, some of which may never present any symptoms. Others, however, are considered high-risk types, which increase the chance of the person infected to develop cancer. In recent years, the utilization of nanotechnology has allowed researchers to employ and explore the use of nanoparticles in immunotherapies. The new nanoparticle frontier has opened many doors in this area of research as a form of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment in cancers resulting from HPV. This review will provide a brief background of HPV, its relationship to head and neck cancer (HNC) and present some insight into the field of immunotherapeutic nanoparticles.

Ultrasound Facilitates Naturally Equipped Exosomes Derived from Macrophages and Blood Serum for Orthotopic Glioma Treatment

Exosomes (Exos) are endogenous nanocarriers that have utility as novel delivery systems for the treatment of brain cancers. However, in general, natural Exos show limited BBB-crossing capacity and lack specific targeting. Further modifications including targeting peptides and genetic engineering approaches can circumvent these issues, but the process is time-consuming. Focused ultrasound (FUS) has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the diagnosis and treatment of brain diseases due to its noninvasive nature, reversibility, and instantaneous local opening of the BBB. In this study, we developed a natural and safe transportation system using FUS to increase the targeted delivery of Exos for glioma therapy. We also compared the advantages of macrophage-derived Exos (R-Exos) and blood serum-derived Exos (B-Exos) to screen for an improved platform with scope for clinical transformation. In vitro, both R-Exos and B-Exos were transported through BBB models and accumulated in glioma cells with the assistance of ultrasound exposure. R-Exos and B-Exos displayed no obvious differences in physical characteristics, drug release, tumor targeting, and cytotoxicity when combined with FUS. In vivo animal imaging studies suggested that the fluorescence intensity of B-Exos plus single FUS in brains was 4.45-fold higher than that of B-Exos alone. Furthermore, B-Exos plus twice FUS treatment efficiently suppressed glioma growth with no obvious side effects. We therefore demonstrate that the combination of FUS and naturally abundant B-Exos is a potent strategy for brain cancer therapeutics.