Nanomedicine and Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Gastrointestinal Cancer: A Systematic Review

The incidence of gastrointestinal cancers has increased in recent years. Current treatments present numerous challenges, including drug resistance, non-specificity, and severe side effects, needing the exploration of new therapeutic strategies. One promising avenue is the use of magnetic nanoparticles, which have gained considerable interest due to their ability to generate heat in tumor regions upon the application of an external alternating magnetic field, a process known as hyperthermia. This review conducted a systematic search of in vitro and in vivo studies published in the last decade that employ hyperthermia therapy mediated by magnetic nanoparticles for treating gastrointestinal cancers. After applying various inclusion and exclusion criteria (studies in the last 10 years where hyperthermia using alternative magnetic field is applied), a total of 40 articles were analyzed. The results revealed that iron oxide is the preferred material for magnetism generation in the nanoparticles, and colorectal cancer is the most studied gastrointestinal cancer. Interestingly, novel therapies employing nanoparticles loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs in combination with magnetic hyperthermia demonstrated an excellent antitumor effect. In conclusion, hyperthermia treatments mediated by magnetic nanoparticles appear to be an effective approach for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers, offering advantages over traditional therapies.

Automated summary

The incidence of gastrointestinal cancers has been increasing in recent years, leading to challenges in current treatments. A promising strategy is to use magnetic nanoparticles for hyperthermia therapy, generating heat in tumor regions using an external magnetic field. This systematic review analyzed 40 articles published in the last decade, showing that iron oxide is the preferred material for magnetism generation and colorectal cancer is the most studied gastrointestinal cancer. Combination therapies using nanoparticles loaded with chemotherapeutic drugs and magnetic hyperthermia demonstrated excellent antitumor effects. Hyperthermia treatments mediated by magnetic nanoparticles appear to be an effective approach for gastrointestinal cancers.