title: Treating metastatic cancer with nanotechnology.
abstract: Metastasis accounts for the vast majority of cancer deaths. The unique challenges for treating metastases include their small size, high multiplicity and dispersion to diverse organ environments. Nanoparticles have many potential benefits for diagnosing and treating metastatic cancer, including the ability to transport complex molecular cargoes to the major sites of metastasis, such as the lungs, liver and lymph nodes, as well as targeting to specific cell populations within these organs. This Review highlights the research, opportunities and challenges for integrating engineering sciences with cancer biology and medicine to develop nanotechnology-based tools for treating metastatic disease.
authors.affiliation: David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Avi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Schroeder
authors.forename: Daniel A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Heller
authors.forename: Monte M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Winslow
authors.forename: James E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Dahlman
authors.forename: George W
authors.initials: GW
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.forename: Tyler
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jacks
authors.forename: Daniel G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Anderson
mesh_terms: D004337:Drug Carriers; D006801:Humans; D053758:Nanoparticles / Q000627:therapeutic use; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010316:Particle Size
chemical_list: D004337:Drug Carriers