title: Nanomedicine in management of hepatocellular carcinoma: Challenges and opportunities.
abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma is the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. It is characterized by unique features that can be utilized for selective and targeted therapy, which aids in preserving healthy tissues from deteriorating effects of traditional chemotherapeutics. In this minireview, a brief overview of recent drug delivery attempts for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma with the aid of nanomedical structures is presented. The beneficial impact of nanomaterials in terms of prolonged retention in blood and target sites, controlled biodistribution and improved stability of the encapsulated payloads, will be described, together with the possibility of incorporating more than one cargo into the same nanostructure. Incorporation of stimuli-responsive components, decoration with targeting moieties and the use of molecularly targeted drugs for treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma are also highlighted.
authors.affiliation: Assiut International Center of Nanomedicine, Al-Rajhy Liver Hospital, Assiut University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Nourhan K
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Mohamed
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mostafa A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hamad
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Aswan University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mohamed Z E
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Hafez
authors.affiliation: Departments of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.|Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
authors.forename: Karen L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Wooley
authors.affiliation: Assiut International Center of Nanomedicine, Al-Rajhy Liver Hospital, Assiut University, Egypt.|Laboratory for Synthetic-Biologic Interactions, Department of Chemistry, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.|Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, Assiut University, Egypt.|Misr University for Science and Technology, 6th of October City, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Elsabahy
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000628:therapy*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D015972:Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D008495:Medical Oncology / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D050997:Nanomedicine / Q000379:methods*; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry; D009696:Nucleic Acids / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D009696:Nucleic Acids
keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma; nanomedicine; smart nanoparticles; targeting