Targeting circulating tumor cell‒neutrophil interactions: nanoengineered strategies for inhibiting cancer metastasis

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Nanotechnology
• Immunology

Background:

• Metastasis is the primary cause of cancer mortality, with limited treatment options for patients with metastatic disease.
• Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) spread cancer by entering the bloodstream and forming clusters with white blood cells, particularly neutrophils.
• These CTC-neutrophil interactions promote cancer cell survival, invasion, and the creation of pre-metastatic environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review nanoengineered strategies for disrupting CTC-neutrophil interactions.
• To explore the potential of nanotechnology in antimetastatic therapies.
• To identify limitations and future directions for nanotherapeutics targeting metastasis.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of existing literature on nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems.
• Analysis of mechanisms underlying CTC-neutrophil crosstalk.
• Evaluation of nanoengineered strategies targeting these interactions.

Main Results:

• CTC-neutrophil interactions enhance cancer cell survival, proliferation, invasion, and metastasis.
• Nanotechnology-based systems show potential for targeted delivery and reduced side effects compared to conventional therapies.
• Disrupting CTC-neutrophil crosstalk is a viable strategy to inhibit metastatic spread.

Conclusions:

• Pharmacological disruption of CTC-neutrophil crosstalk is a promising antimetastatic strategy.
• Nanoengineered drug delivery systems offer advantages for targeting this crosstalk.
• Further development of clinically translatable nanotherapeutics is needed to combat metastatic cancer effectively.