Nanofunctional Materials in Cancer Research: Challenges, Novel Methods, and Emerging Applications
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Materials in Cancer Research: Challenges, Novel Methods, and Emerging Applications Larry A. Nagahara, Mauro Ferrari, and Piotr Grodzinski, Guest Editors
Abstract Despite recent progress in the treatment of cancer, far too many cases are still diagnosed only after tumors have metastasized. As a result, patients with cancer face a grim prognosis and often need to endure toxic and uncomfortable whole-body chemotherapy and/or other radiation treatments with the hope that their cancers will be eliminated. If the disease can be detected early enough, statistics have shown that the burden of cancer is drastically reduced. Nanotechnology applied to cancer, by way of nanofunctional materials, is in a unique position to significantly transform the way the disease is diagnosed, imaged, and treated and is the focus of this issue of MRS Bulletin. Materials research in nanotechnology is already successfully implemented in several applications. For instance, photocatalysis using TiO2 nanoparticles is becoming the dominant method for the “self-cleaning” of material surfaces such as glass, ceramics, and fabrics. The nanomaterial carbon nanotubes is a promising candidate in sensor technology and field-emission technology. Our goal is to illustrate the promising new methods being developed in the research community and the challenges that need to be overcome in order to reach clinical utility. More importantly, we hope this issue helps educate and invoke the materials science community to tackle some of the hard issues in diagnosing and treating this disease.
Introduction Most people have been affected by cancer in one way or another, either directly or through a family member, relative, and/or friend. Cancer is not just one disease but many diseases (see cancer.gov for more information). The complexity of the disease results in more than 100 different types of cancer. To the general public, 406
most cancers are known by the organ or type of cell in which they start. For example, cancer that begins in the breast is called breast cancer, whereas cancer that begins in basal cells of the skin is called basal cell carcinoma. The commonality in every cancer type is that the cells begin healthy until something in the reproduc-
tion process goes wrong. “Normal” cells follow an orderly process in which they grow and divide as needed to keep the body healthy. A part of this normal process is the replacement of old or damaged cells with new cells. In the case of cancer, this orderly process and balance goes awry as cells do not die when they should, and new cells form when the body does not need them. As these extra cells proliferate, a mass of tissue may form; this is called a tumor. Not all types of cancer, such as leukemia, form tumors. These leukemia cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues where they grow. Likewise, not all tumors are cancerous; tumors can be classified as benign or malignant. Cells in benign tumors do not spread to other parts of the body and are not cancerous. They
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