[Current aspects of nanoparticle-based therapy in head and neck cancer]

The rapid expansion and application of nanoparticles in medicine has meanwhile contributed to a large number of experimental and clinical studies, especially in cancer research. Numerous different fields within nanomedicine have now become established more clearly. These are based on the one hand on the properties of different types of nanoparticles (chemical, physical, and biological) and on the other hand on the possible specific applications such as drug carrier, radioenhancer, in vivo monitoring of drug distribution within the tumor, or tumor-specific immune-modulating effects. Nanoparticles can also be functionalized by multiple properties potentiating their intrinsic antitumoral effects, such as coupling of antibodies to address target tissue or coupling to chemotherapeutic agents. In this work, an up-to-date overview of the developments and applications related to nanoparticles in head and neck cancer is given.