Open Access

REVIEW

Stem cell technology for antitumor drug loading and delivery in oncology

FRANCESCO PETRELLA^*, ENRICO MARIO CASSINA, LIDIA LIBRETTI, EMANUELE PIRONDINI, FEDERICO RAVEGLIA, ANTONIO TUORO

Department of Thoracic Surgery, Fondazione IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, Monza, 20900, Italy

* Corresponding Author: FRANCESCO PETRELLA. Email:

Oncology Research 2024, 32(3), 433-437. https://doi.org/10.32604/or.2023.046497

Received 04 October 2023; Accepted 24 November 2023; Issue published 06 February 2024

Abstract

The main aim of antineoplastic treatment is to maximize patient benefit by augmenting the drug accumulation within affected organs and tissues, thus incrementing drug effects and, at the same time, reducing the damage of non-involved tissues to cytotoxic agents. Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) represent a group of undifferentiated multipotent cells presenting wide self-renewal features and the capacity to differentiate into an assortment of mesenchymal family cells. During the last year, they have been proposed as natural carriers for the selective release of antitumor drugs to malignant cells, thus optimizing cytotoxic action on cancer cells, while significantly reducing adverse side effects on healthy cells. MSC chemotherapeutic drug loading and delivery is an encouraging new area of cell therapy for several tumors, especially for those with unsatisfactory prognosis and limited treatment options available. Although some experimental models have been successfully developed, phase I clinical studies are needed to confirm this potential application of cell therapy, in particular in the case of primary and secondary lung cancers.

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Keywords

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