Nanotechnology for prostate cancer treatment inches toward reality

Cancer cells take up thousands of nanoshells, which are then heated with laser light to kill the cancer cells. Image credit – National Cancer Institute

CANCER DIGEST – Oct. 19, 2024 – Using nanotechnology to treat prostate cancer, researchers eliminated cancerous tumors in 73 percent of the men treated in a new clinical trial.

Using a combination of imaging technologies, nanoshells and lasers, the trial successfully eliminated prostate tumors in 73 percent of the 44 men treated. The elimination of the cancer was confirmed by biopsy of the treated areas of the prostate.The study results appeared in the Sept. 4, 2024 Journal of Urology.

The use of nanotechnology for diagnosis and treatment of cancer has been under development for decades. Study co-author Jennifer West, PhD, and Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Virginia, first proposed using nanotechnology for diagnosing and treating breast cancer in 2003 along with Naomi Halas, Rebekah Drezek, and Renata Pasqualin who were all at Rice University at the time. West invented the technology used in this trial and is a co-founder of Nanospectra Biosciences, Inc, which funded this study.

In the study, 44 men with prostate cancer that had not spread beyond the prostate were infused with gold nanoshells that have been engineered to preferentially travel to and adhere to prostate cancer tumors. With the nanoshells accumulating in the tumors, the researchers then use a combination of MRI and ultrasound to direct near-infrared laser light to heat the nanoshells to destroy the cancer cells, while sparing nearby healthy tissue.

After 12 months of follow-up, 73 percent of tumors treated were eliminated, as confirmed by biopsy. The men’s PSA levels had decreased from a median of 9.5 ng/ml to 4.7 ng/ml.

"Our findings represent a major step forward in prostate cancer treatment," West said in a press release. "This therapy not only effectively eliminates cancerous cells but also preserves key quality-of-life factors, which is a huge win for patients."

Sources: University of Virginia, School of Engineering press release, and the Sept. 4, 2024 Journal of Urology