This article presents the novel concept of treating prostate cancer with radioactive gold nanoparticles.
Nanoparticles are extremely small engineered structures that can be used to deliver treatments to otherwise inaccessible areas of the body. Radiation therapy for prostate cancer is currently given using many techniques, each of them having certain disadvantages. For example, the most commonly used method, External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT), often has side effects due to difficulties in focusing the radiation beam only on the prostate gland.
Radioactive gold nanoparticles are very small structures that can deliver radiation to cancerous tissues. By binding them to another chemical, called epigallocatechin-gallate (or EGCg), researchers were able to target prostate cancer cells. These tumor cells have a specific protein on their surface called Lam 67R. The nanoparticles are engineered to bind specifically to this protein and deliver highly targeted radiation. By focusing the radiation, higher doses can be given with fewer side effects.
So far, trials performed on mice have proven successful. The delivery of radiation using this new approach lead to an 80% decrease in tumor volume, with less radiation given to surrounding normal tissues.
The radioactive gold nanoparticles are an interesting concept that may offer better treatment options for prostate cancer in the future. Extensive studies are however needed in order to prove that the therapy is safe to use in humans.
Published By :
Nature Reviews Urology
Date :
Oct 01, 2012
