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Nanomedicine as an innovative therapeutic strategy for pediatric cancer

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Abstract

Childhood cancer is the leading cause of mortality in children between 1 and 14 years of age. Malignancy accounts for 18 % of overall childhood mortality. Therapeutic advances in the field of pediatric oncology have helped to increase survival. Nanotechnology is the modification of materials at a nanoscale and can be used to deliver therapeutic agents. Examples of nanotechnology applications are organic self-assembled amphiphilic polymers, non-organic nanocarriers such as nanotubes and quantum dots. Each of these has their own utility in different settings. Application of nanotechnology in medicine has been extensively studied. Examples of pediatric tumors that received special attention are: neuroblastoma, retinoblastoma, central nervous system tumors and musculoskeletal tumors. This review will summarize the application of nanomedicine as an innovative management strategy in pediatric oncology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Essa Mohd Aleassa & Richard Keijzer

  2. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Biochemistry and Medical Genetics, University of Manitoba, and Children’s Hospital Research Institute, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Malcolm Xing

  3. Division of Pediatric Surgery, Pediatrics and Child Health and Physiology and Pathophysiology (Adjunct), University of Manitoba, and Children’s Hospital Research Institute of Manitoba, Biology of Breathing Theme, Winnipeg, MB, Canada

    Richard Keijzer

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  1. Essa Mohd Aleassa
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  2. Malcolm Xing
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  3. Richard Keijzer
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Correspondence to Richard Keijzer.

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Aleassa, E.M., Xing, M. & Keijzer, R. Nanomedicine as an innovative therapeutic strategy for pediatric cancer. Pediatr Surg Int 31, 611–616 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00383-015-3683-2

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