Nanoparticles as drug carrier system of 5-fluorouracil in local treatment of patients with superficial basal cell carcinoma.
OBJECTIVE
To develop an alternative nonsurgical treatment for basal cell carcinoma using colloidal systems as drug carriers. We investigated the possibility of polybutylcyanoacrylate nanoparticles loaded with 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) to be applied in local treatment of patients with basal cell carcinoma.


METHODS
32 patients (mean age 74 years, range 56-90) with histologically confirmed superficial basal cell carcinoma were treated with 5-FU-loaded polybutyl-cyanoacrylate nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were prepared by anionic polymerization of butyl-2-cyanoacrylate monomer for use as drug delivery system. The preparation of 5-FU-loaded polybutylcyanoacrylate nanoparticles was carried out by adsorption of the drug on the surface of previously prepared nanoparticles. This preparation was applied once a day for 35-40 days. The effect of treatment on the immunological parameters, measured by phytohaemagglutinin (PHA)-induced DNA synthesis of T lymphocytes and also their number in the peripheral blood were analyzed in 28 of 32 treated patients and compared against a group of 24 healthy individuals (controls).


RESULTS
31 of 32 patients achieved histologically confirmed complete tumor resolution. Treatment did not cause significant changes both in the number of T lymphocytes and PHA-induced DNA synthesis of T lymphocytes of the treated patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Local treatment with 5-FU-loaded nanoparticles provides a nonsurgical treatment alternative in patients with superficial basal cell carcinoma. This effective and well tolerated method is preferred by patients who are not surgical candidates or who prefer nonsurgical treatment.
Hadjikirova
M
M
Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, National Hospital of Oncology, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Troyanova
P
P
Simeonova
M
M