Application of Bioceramics to Cancer Therapy

Despite the great medical developments, cancer remains the main cause of death amongst individuals under 85 years. Novel therapeutic approaches for cancer therapy are constantly being developed, and bioactive ceramics show great promise in this respect. Bioceramics contain inorganic components, which help in the repair, replacement, and regeneration of human cells; for that reason, their use is growing in scope. Bioceramics have a flexible nature and can be modified with biologically active substances for a particular treatment or improvement of tissue or organ functionality. Materials, including glass-ceramics and calcium phosphate, can be loaded with specific drugs, growth factors, peptides, and hormones in a particular fashion. Also, for the elimination of infections and inflammations after surgery, the surface of bioceramics can be modified, and antibiotics can be introduced to prevent bacterial biofilm formation. In the context of bone cancer diagnosis and treatment, mesoporous bioceramics have demonstrated excellent properties not only for being osteoinductive and osteoconductive but also for drug delivery, therefore, being rendered as a remarkable platform for the creation of bone tissue engineering scaffolds for the purpose of bone cancer treatment. Furthermore, the creation of ceramic magnetic nanoparticles as thermoseeds for hyperthermia exhibits promising development for cancer treatment. The conjugation of ceramic nanoparticles with therapeutic agents and heat treatment via different magnetic fields improve the efficacy of hyperthermia to the extent that it makes them an alternative to chemotherapy. This chapter discusses the therapeutic value of bioceramics. 

Keywords: Bioactive, Bioceramics, Cancer therapy, Clinical trials, Drug release, Glass-ceramic, Hyperthermia, Magnetic nanoparticles.