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Immuno-oncology Technology Dec 2023Immunotherapy that aims to boost the body's immune responses against pathogens or diseased cells has achieved significant progress for treating different diseases over... (Review)
Review
Immunotherapy that aims to boost the body's immune responses against pathogens or diseased cells has achieved significant progress for treating different diseases over the past several decades, especially with the success of checkpoint blockades, chimeric antigen receptor T therapy, and cancer vaccines in clinical cancer treatment. Effective immunotherapy necessitates the generation of potent and persistent humoral and T-cell responses, which lies in the ability of modulating and guiding antigen-presenting cells to prime antigen-specific T and B cells in the lymphoid tissues, notably in the lymph nodes proximal to the disease site. To this end, various types of strategies have been developed to facilitate the delivery of immunomodulatory agents to immune cells (e.g. dendritic cells and T cells) in the lymph nodes. Among them, intranodal injection enables the direct exposure of immunomodulators to immune cells in lymph nodes, but is limited by the technical challenge and intrinsic invasiveness. To address, multiple passive and active lymph node-targeting technologies have been developed. In this review, we will provide an overview of different lymph node-targeting technologies developed to date, as well as the mechanism and merits of each approach.
PubMed: 37719676
DOI: 10.1016/j.iotech.2023.100395 -
Journal of Nanobiotechnology Aug 2023Lymph nodes play a pivotal role in tumor progression as key components of the lymphatic system. However, the unique physiological structure of lymph nodes has... (Review)
Review
Lymph nodes play a pivotal role in tumor progression as key components of the lymphatic system. However, the unique physiological structure of lymph nodes has traditionally constrained the drug delivery efficiency. Excitingly, nanomedicines have shown tremendous advantages in lymph node-specific delivery, enabling distinct recognition and diagnosis of lymph nodes, and hence laying the foundation for efficient tumor therapies. In this review, we comprehensively discuss the key factors affecting the specific enrichment of nanomedicines in lymph nodes, and systematically summarize nanomedicines for precise lymph node drug delivery and therapeutic application, including the lymphatic diagnosis and treatment nanodrugs and lymph node specific imaging and identification system. Notably, we delve into the critical challenges and considerations currently facing lymphatic nanomedicines, and futher propose effective strategies to address these issues. This review encapsulates recent findings, clinical applications, and future prospects for designing effective nanocarriers for lymphatic system targeting, with potential implications for improving cancer treatment strategies.
Topics: Humans; Nanomedicine; Lymphatic System; Lymph Nodes; Diagnostic Imaging; Neoplasms
PubMed: 37620846
DOI: 10.1186/s12951-023-02022-x -
Journal of Gynecologic Oncology Jan 2024Nodal status is one of the most important prognostic factors for patients with apparent early stage endometrial cancer. The role of retroperitoneal staging in... (Review)
Review
Nodal status is one of the most important prognostic factors for patients with apparent early stage endometrial cancer. The role of retroperitoneal staging in endometrial cancer is controversial. Nodal status provides useful prognostic data, and allows to tailor the need of postoperative treatments. However, two independent randomized trials showed that the execution of (pelvic) lymphadenectomy increases the risk of having surgery-related complication without improving patients' outcomes. Sentinel node mapping aims to achieve data regarding nodal status without increasing morbidity. Sentinel node mapping is the removal of first (clinically negative) lymph nodes draining the uterus. Several studies suggested that sentinel node mapping is not inferior to lymphadenectomy in identifying patients with nodal disease. More importantly, thorough ultrastaging sentinel node mapping allows the detection of low volume disease (micrometastases and isolated tumor cells), that are not always detectable via conventional pathological examination. Therefore, the adoption of sentinel node mapping guarantees a higher identification of patients with nodal disease than lymphadenectomy. Further evidence is needed to assess the value of various adjuvant strategies in patients with low volume disease and to tailor those treatments also on the basis of the molecular and genomic characterization of endometrial tumors.
Topics: Female; Humans; Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy; Sentinel Lymph Node; Lymphatic Metastasis; Neoplasm Staging; Lymph Nodes; Lymph Node Excision; Endometrial Neoplasms
PubMed: 37973163
DOI: 10.3802/jgo.2024.35.e29