| dc.description.abstract | Cancer is a life-threatening disease and one of the leading causes of death globally. Cancer was thought to be associated with developed countries only but it is increasingly becoming a major health challenge in developing countries, including South Africa. Neuroblastoma is a form of cancer that affects the very early forms of nerve cells and is the most common extra-cranial solid tumour in children. It develops mainly in the adrenal medulla and the sympathetic ganglia. The focus of the present study is the development of a doxorubicin-loaded nanoparticle drug delivery system for the treatment of neuroblastoma. The biological diversity of the neuroblastic tumours that occur in patients has led to a divided approach in therapeutic strategies. Recent research efforts are aimed at designing therapies that will exploit the key oncogenic features of tumours, either within the tumours, in the tumour microenvironment, or both. Although doxorubicin chemotherapy is known to be generally very effective, previous studies have shown that it may result in the undesired toxicity of cardiomyocytes, cardiac fibroblasts, cardiac progenitor cells, endothelial progenitor cells, smooth muscle cells, and mesenchymal stem cells. | en_US |
