Nanoparticle delivery for metastatic breast cancer

Breast cancer represents a major ongoing public health problem as the most common non-cutaneous malignancy among U.S. women. While significant progress has been made in improving loco-regional treatments for breast cancer, relatively little progress has been made in diagnosing and treating patients with metastatic breast cancer. At present there are limited curative options for patients with breast cancer metastatic beyond regional nodes. Emerging nanotechnologies promise new approaches to early detection and treatment of metastatic breast cancer. Fulfilling the promise of nanotechnologies for patients with metastatic breast cancer will require delivery of nanomaterials to sites of metastatic disease. Future translational approaches will rely on an ever increasing understanding of the biology of breast cancer subtypes and their metastases. These important concepts will be highlighted and elucidated in this manuscript. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.