Lung cancer remains a leading cause of cancer mortality, with drug resistance contributing to over 90 % of therapeutic failures in advanced cases. This review systematically examines how engineered nanoparticles can address the multifaceted mechanisms of resistance—including genetic mutations, efflux transporter overexpression, tumor microenvironment alterations, and stemness-associated phenotypes. Nanocarriers such as liposomes, polymeric nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles, dendrimers, and inorganic particles have demonstrated enhanced tumor accumulation, prolonged circulation, and triggered intracellular release. In multidrug-resistant models, these formulations reduced doxorubicin IC50 values by up to 90 % and restored sensitivity to paclitaxel and cisplatin. Key strategies include co-delivering chemotherapeutics with agents like siRNA or modulators, achieving significant tumor shrinkage and re-sensitization, and employing stimuli-responsive designs for precise payload release at tumor sites, thereby reducing systemic toxicity. Organelle-targeted delivery (mitochondria, nuclei) further enhances efficacy against resistant subpopulations. In preclinical settings, these strategies have not only achieved tumor regression but also reduced metastases and improved overall survival. The integration of active targeting ligands and immunomodulatory agents positions nanoparticle platforms as multifunctional systems with substantial translational potential. This review highlights the engineering innovations that enable precise delivery, effective drug release, and circumvention of resistance in lung cancer models.

IntroductionUrethral injury caused by various reasons usually leads to urethral stricture. And severe urethral stricture can further induce complications such as bladder stones, fistulas, sepsis, and even renal failure. At present, surgical methods such as urethral reconstruction and end-to-end anastomosis are commonly used to solve this problem. But this treatment method often has a high recurrence rate. So simply relying on the repair of surrounding autologous tissue cells to reconstruct the urethra is difficult to achieve long-term stability, and constructing a suitable urethral graft is an effective and feasible solution.MethodsHere, we designed and prepared a double-layer PLGA/CoI-MeHA tissue engineering scaffold to better simulate the natural anatomy of the urethra and achieve urethral tissue regeneration and reconstruction in patients with urethral stricture and Hypospadias caused by various reasons. The double-layer tissue engineering scaffold was generated using electrospinning and light curing technology.ResultsThrough electrospinning and light curing technology, we successfully screened the PLGA/CoI (7:3) electrospun membrane and MeHA (40.72%) hydrogel. Furthermore, we successfully prepared PLGA/CoI-MeHA bilayer urethral stents loaded with rabbit urethral smooth muscle cells and rabbit urethral epithelial cells, respectively, and achieved favorable results for urethral defect repair and urethral reconstruction in rabbits. The mechanical characterization of the scaffold indicates that it has sufficient mechanical strength to meet experimental and clinical needs. In addition, it showed satisfactory biocompatibility in cell experiments and in the in vitro degradation experiments. The double-layer urethral stents demonstrated exceptional performance in repairing urethral defects in rabbits.DiscussionWe had successfully designed and prepared a double-layer PLGA/CoI-MeHA tissue engineering scaffold. The stent displayed sufficient mechanical strength, good biocompatibility and degradation characteristics, and effectively simulated the natural anatomy of urethra, achieving satisfactory urethral defect reconstruction results.

Drug infusion therapy after surgery for urothelial carcinoma is an effective measure to reduce cancer recurrence rate. Hydrogels are drug carriers with good biocompatibility and high drug loading capacity, which can optimize the pharmacokinetics of drugs in the urinary system to improve the therapeutic effect. Compared with the traditional free drug in situ perfusion, the hydrogel drug loading system can still maintain effective drug concentration in the face of continuous urinary flushing due to its good mucosal adhesion effect. The significantly prolonged drug retention time can not only improve the therapeutic effect of drugs, but also reduce the discomfort and risk of urinary tract infections caused by frequent drug infusion, and improve patient compliance. In addition, the combination of hydrogel with nanoparticles and magnetic materials can also improve the mucosal permeability and targeting effect of the hydrogel drug loading system, so as to overcome the mucus layer of urinary epithelium and the physiological barrier of tumor and minimize the impact on normal tissue and cell functions. At present, the research of hydrogels for urothelial cancer treatment involves chemotherapy, immunotherapy, gene therapy, inhibition of metabolism and multi strategy synergistic therapy. This review summarizes the research progress of hydrogels for the treatment of urothelial carcinoma, hoping to provide a reference for the future research of safe, reliable, effective, and advanced hydrogels with little side effects.

Abstract Background Bladder cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors of the urinary system. Both cancer and stromal cells, including bladder cancer, express chemokines and their corresponding receptors. Their altered expression controls angiogenesis, cancer cell proliferation, metastasis, and immune cell recruitment and activation in a variety of malignancies. Therefore, it is necessary to investigate the association between chemotactic activity-related genes and the prognosis of bladder cancer patients. Methods Download the The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database's expression profiles for chemotactic activity-related genes and clinical information. Create a prognostic model by using the univariate Cox analysis and the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model. Additionally, the validation cohort for the GSE13507 and GSE48276 datasets is used to verify the signature's predictive power. Results We identified 3 chemotactic activity-related genes related to BLCA patients’ overall survival (OS) and established a prognostic model based on their expression. According on the findings of the LASSO regression analysis, patients were split into high-risk and low-risk groups during the study. The survival time of the low-risk group was significantly longer than that of the high-risk group (P < 0.001). The riskscore and clinical prognostic indicators were combined to create a nomogram, which demonstrated strong predictive capacity in the training and validation groups. Conclusions With the use of CXCL12, ACKR3, and CXCL10, we have created a chemotactic activity-related predictive model in this study that may aid doctors in making conclusions regarding BLCA patients and provide useful information for tailored management.

Background Compound aluminum sulfate injection (CASI) originated from a Chinese traditional medicine, “Kuzhiye”, and has been used in treating non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC). Previous studies suggested that CASI was a potential monotherapeutic drug for NMIBC. However, the efficacy and safety of CASI in the treatment of NMIBC, as well as the long-term recurrence after treatment, need to be further evaluated. Methods A multicenter retrospective single-arm cohort study was conducted. From 2006 to 2009, 101 patients (74 men and 27 women, aged 58.9±11.9 years) with T1 or benign NMIBC were enrolled. Each patient was directly injected with CASI through catheter needle into the root of NMIBC. Vital signs, electrocardiography, blood count, blood biochemistry, and urine analysis were re-examined on day 2 and day 14 after CASI injection, together with a cystoscopic examination 4 weeks after CASI treatment was performed for all patients to assess the clinical activity and safety of CASI. To study long-term efficacy, patients in center 2 were followed up for recurrence with a median follow-up time of 13.8 years. Results For the 101 patients enrolled in this study, demographic characteristics in the 3 centers showed no significant differences. After CASI, 2 patients showed administration site-dependent, but not dose-dependent, increase in their aluminum concentration in 24 hours without obvious abnormality in blood biochemistry. The overall effective rate was 97.03%, including complete tumor necrosis in 94 patients. Treatment-related adverse events occurred in 20 patients (19.80%), including 9 drug-related and 11 cystoscopy-related adverse events (AEs). All AEs were endurable and disappeared within 2 weeks without any treatment. The maximum tolerated single dose of CASI was 21 mL. Among the 43 patients at center 2, 3 patients were excluded because they changed to other treatment regimen. As of April 2022, of the 40 patients enrolled, 22 had no recurrence and 7 relapsed. The follow-up time was 2–16.2 years. The other 11 patients were lost to follow up. Conclusions CASI may be an effective and safe option for the treatment of NMIBC and is expected to be a potential monotherapy regimen for NMIBC.

Objective To compare clinical results of intravesical versus extravesical approach in bladder cuff excision during laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy for upper tract urothelial carcinoma（UTUC）. Methods Clinical data of 49 UTUC patients who received laparoscopic radical nephroureterectomy in one position between November 2019 and March 2022 were retrospectively reviewed, including renal pelvis tumor in 22 cases and ureteral tumor in 27 cases. All the excisions of bladder cuff were performed with laparoscopic techniques, either by intravesical approach（n=26） or by extravesical approach（n=23）. There were no significant differences in age, gender, tumor location, primary bladder cancer history, tumor pathologic grade and stage between the two groups（P＞0.05）. All the operations were performed by the same operator. The intraoperative and postoperative indexes and surgical outcomes were compared between the two groups. Results The mean operative time was longer in the intravesical group than in the extravesical group [（172.1±23.1） min vs.（152.0±23.9） min, P=0.004]. The estimated blood loss and the complication rate were similar between the two groups（P＞0.05）. The median follow-up time was 15 months（range, 6-30 months）. A total of 16 patients experienced recurrence or metastasis. The 2-year recurrence-free survival rate and the 2-year intravesical recurrence-free survival rate were similar between the two groups（64.8% vs. 62.4%, log rank χ~2=0.039, P=0.844; 73.4% vs. 74.3%, log rank χ~2=0.021, P=0.886）. Conclusion Intravesical sleeve resection can completely remove the inner segment of ureter wall, which may reduce the risk of tumor recurrence due to inadequate resection.

Injuries to the urethra can be caused by malformations, trauma, inflammation, or carcinoma, and reconstruction of the injured urethra is still a significant challenge in clinical urology. Implanting grafts for urethroplasty and end-to-end anastomosis are typical clinical interventions for urethral injury. However, complications and high recurrence rates remain unsatisfactory. To address this, urethral tissue engineering provides a promising modality for urethral repair. Additionally, developing tailor-made biomimetic natural and synthetic grafts is of great significance for urethral reconstruction. In this work, tailor-made biomimetic natural and synthetic grafts are divided into scaffold-free and scaffolded grafts according to their structures, and the influence of different graft structures on urethral reconstruction is discussed. In addition, future development and potential clinical application strategies of future urethral reconstruction grafts are predicted.

Background Ureteral granulation tissue hemangiomas are rare benign vascular lesions, and they may be clinically asymptomatic or present with massive or recurrent hematuria. Sometimes hemangiomas are difficult to distinguish from malignant ureteral tumors, and most ureteral hemangiomas are confirmed by postoperative pathological examination. This article aims to present a case of granulation tissue-type hemangioma of the ureter and briefly review the current literature on this condition. Case presentation A 30-year-old male patient presented with complaints of painless macroscopic hematuria for 2 months. Computerized tomography of the urinary system showed that the upper 1/3 of the right ureter was occupied, and then the possibility of tumor lesions was considered. The urine cytology showed occasional nuclear abnormalities and many light-stained crystals in urine. Because of suspicious radiological and cytological findings, the patient underwent the right ureteroscopy and the laparoscopic right ureteral mass resection. The postoperative pathological report showed that it was a mesenchymal tumor. The morphological and immunohistochemical staining was consistent with that of hemangioma, tending to granulation tissue hemangioma. After surgery, the patient was in a good state and recovered well at the last follow-up. Conclusions Ureteral granulation tissue hemangiomas are an easily misdiagnosed disease. Intermittent painless hematuria is an important characteristic of this disease. Therefore, we suggest that unnecessary radical surgery can be avoided when clinicians consider the possibility of benign ureteral tumors during the evaluation.

Purpose The purpose of this study was to assess the surgical outcomes of patients with primary aldosteronism when surgery was based only on CT finding of unilateral adenoma without adrenal vein sampling (AVS). Methods This is a retrospective review of the records of patients who had undergone retroperitoneal laparoscopic adrenalectomy for primary aldosteronism based on CT scan finding of unilateral adenoma and had a follow-up of at least 6–12 months from January 2012 to December 2020 in a single center; decision for adrenalectomy was based on CT scan, and AVS was not used. The clinical and biochemical outcomes were accessed using the standardized primary aldosteronism surgical outcome (PASO) criteria. Patient’s demographics and preoperative factors were analyzed to assess for independent predictor of surgical success. Results According to the PASO criteria, 172 patients finally enrolled in the training dataset, and 20 patients enrolled in the validation dataset. In the training dataset, complete clinical success was achieved in 71 patients (41.3%), partial success in 87 (50.6%), and absent success in 14 (8.1%). Biochemical outcomes showed that 151 patients (87.8%) were completely cured, 14 patients (8.1%) got a partial biochemical success, and an absent biochemical success was found in seven patients (4.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, body mass index (BMI), tumor size, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and serum potassium were the most independent factors for incomplete biochemical success. Based on the results of statistical analysis, our study constructed a nomogram prognostic evaluation model for patients after unilateral primary aldosterone surgery. Conclusions Laparoscopic adrenalectomy for patients with primary aldosteronism base on CT scan finding of a unilateral adenoma without AVS had a high rate of complete biochemical cure at 12 months. Risk factors for incomplete biochemical success include age, BMI, tumor size, MAP, and serum potassium. Our study constructed a nomogram prognostic evaluation model for patients after unilateral primary aldosterone surgery. The nomogram accurately and reliably predicted the incomplete biochemical success.

Although the biomedical sciences have achieved tremendous success in developing novel approaches to managing prostate cancer, this disease remains one of the major health concerns among men worldwide. Liposomal formulations of single drugs have shown promising results in cancer treatment; however, the use of multi drugs has shown a better therapeutic index than individual drugs. The identification of cancer-specific receptors has added value to design targeted drug delivering nanocarriers. We have developed genistein and plumbagin co-encapsulating liposomes (∼120 nm) with PSMA specific antibodies to target prostate cancer cells selectively in this work. These liposomes showed >90 % decrease in PSMA expressing prostate cancer cell proliferation without any appreciable toxicity to healthy cells and human red blood cells. Release of plumbagin and genistein was found to decrease the expression of PI3/AKT3 signaling proteins and Glut-1 receptors (inhibited glucose uptake and metabolism), respectively. The decrease in migration potential of cells and induced apoptosis established the observed anti-proliferative effect in prostate cancer cell lines. The discussed strategy of developing novel, non-toxic, and PSMA specific antibody conjugated liposomes carrying genistein and plumbagin drugs may also be used for encapsulating other drugs and inhibit the growth of different types of cancers.

Drug eluting ureteral stent is an effective means for local drug delivery to the urinary tract. It can potentially solve a variety of upper urinary tract problems, such as stent-related urinary tract infections and discomfort, ureteral stricture, and neoplastic diseases. However, the release of drug elutes on the surface of biostable stents is unsustainable and uncontrollable. With the development of biomaterial science, the emergence of biodegradable ureteral stents (BUSs) provides a new approach for local drug delivery in the urinary tract. The drugs can be continuously released in a controlled manner from a drug-eluting BUS, when the stent degrades. Especially for the delivery of anti-tumor drugs, the stents can obviously improve the therapeutic effectiveness of the drugs by prolonging the contact duration of the drug and tumor cells. In addition, a secondary stent removal procedure can be avoided. The purpose of this review article is to provide an overview of anti-tumor drug-eluting BUSs and discuss the biomaterials and drug delivery systems of BUS that are currently being developed to deliver anti-tumor drugs for upper tract urothelial carcinoma.

Most prostate carcinomas require androgen stimulation to grow, and for nearly 70 years, androgen ablation therapy has been one of the central therapeutic strategies against advanced prostate cancer. Although most tumours initially respond to this therapy, some will be acquired resistant and progress to metastatic castration-resistant (mCRPC) disease which clinically tends to progress more rapidly than earlier disease manifestations. The underlying molecular biology of mCRPC is highly complex, and numerous mechanisms have been proposed that promote and retain androgen independence. In various clinical and preclinical data explored, the nature of intracellular signalling pathways mediating mitogenic acquired resistant effects of GPCRs in prostate cancer is poorly defined. G-protein-coupled receptor kinase 2 (GRK2) contributes to the modulation of basic cellular functions-such as cell proliferation, survival or motility-and is involved in metabolic homeostasis, inflammation or angiogenic processes. Moreover, altered GRK2 levels are starting to be reported in different tumoural contexts and shown to promote breast tumourigenesis or to trigger the tumoural angiogenic switch. Thus, we are exploring recent findings that present unexpected opportunities to interfere with major tumourigenic signals by manipulating GPCR-mediated pathways.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify the clinicopathologic characteristics and prognosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) patients complicated with aristolochic acid nephropathy(AAN) after radical nephroureterectomy (RNU). Methods: The clinical data of 42 UTUC patients with AAN (AAN group) and 238 UTUC patients without AAN (Non-AAN group) were retrospectively reviewed. All patients received a RNU with excision of bladder cuff. Demographic and clinical data, including preoperative indexes, intraoperative indexes and surgical outcomes were compared. Results: There were no significant differences in age, tumor location, surgery approach, tumor pathologic grade, stage, the mean operative time and estimated blood loss between the two groups (all p > 0.05). There were more female patients in the AAN group (p < 0.001), and 57.1% were high grade tumors. The AAN group showed a higher complications rate (p = 0.003). The median follow-up time was 43.2 months. The AAN group showed a worse estimated 5-year overall survival rate (35.1% vs. 63.0%, p = 0.014), however, no significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to disease specific survival (63.5% vs. 81.5%, p = 0.091). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis showed that AAN was an independent factor related with overall and disease specific survival. 38.9% of all patients experienced any types of recurrence, and the estimated 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was lower in the AAN group (37.1% vs. 63.7%, p = 0.001). In the comparison of subgroups stratified by recurrence type, the AAN group had a higher intravesical (p = 0.030) and contralateral recurrence rate (p = 0.040). Conclusion: UTUC with AAN occurred more frequently in female patients who were more likely to develop high-grade tumors. However, these patients showed a worse overall survival and a lower recurrence-free survival rate than the other patients. AA-related UTUC might be associate with an increased risk of intravesical and contralateral recurrence after RUN.

Osteosarcoma (OS) is a serious primary bone malignant tumor that can easily affect children and adolescents. Chemotherapy is one of the important and feasible clinical treatment strategies for the treatment of OS at present, which is severely limited due to insufficient retention time, poor penetration ability, and serious side effects of current anti-tumor drug preparations. In this work, a novel injectable thermo-sensitive hydrogel (mPEG45-PLV19) loaded with methotrexate and alendronate, and the sustained release at the tumor site synergistically inhibited the progression of OS. The mPEG45-PLV19 shows excellent physical and chemical properties. Compared with other treatment groups, the in vivo treatment of gel+ methotrexate + alendronate effectively inhibited the growth of tumor. More importantly, it significantly reduced bone destruction and lung metastasis caused by OS. Therefore, this injectable thermo-sensitive hydrogel drug delivery system has broad prospects for OS chemotherapy.

In contrast to systemic chemotherapy, the local administration of chemotherapeutics potentially optimizes their accumulation in the tumor tissues and alleviates the associated systemic toxicity. However, the lack of control over the release of encapsulated drugs and their degradation represents a major challenge for local drug delivery systems. In this study, we developed a series of epirubicin (EPI)-loaded poly(ε-caprolactone)/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PCL/PLGA) nanofiber capsules with adjustable rates of drug release and degradation for local malignancy chemotherapy. The core-sheath PCL/PLGA nanofiber capsules containing 15.0 or 25.0 wt% of PCL in the sheath and 0, 5.0, or 10.0 wt% of EPI in the core were produced by emulsion electrospinning technology. The EPI release and degradation of the nanofiber capsules could be accelerated by decreasing the PCL content in the sheath. More importantly, the EPI-loaded PCL/PLGA nanofiber capsules effectively inhibited the growth of tumor cells in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, none of the laden nanofiber capsules caused apparent systemic toxicity. Hence, the cytostatic-loaded electrospun polyester nanofiber capsules displayed controlled drug release and degradation, along with satisfactory antitumor properties, indicating their great potential in local malignancy chemotherapy.

Objective To explore the risk factors of glan dehiscence after TIP repairing in hypospadias children .Methods This retrospective study involved 77 consecutive hypospadias children undergoing TIP repair from November 2017 to September 2018 .All patients were followed up for 6-15 months .The relevant clinical data collected included age , glan width , urethral plate width pre-incision , neourethra length ,distance between meatus and corona ,type of catheter and whether dorsal plication or not . Independent t test ,chi-square test and logistic regression were performed for evaluating the risk factors of glan dehiscence .Results Glan dehiscence occurred in 10 (13 .0％ ) patients .Our result indicated significant associations existed between group with glan dehiscence and group without glan dehiscence with respects to glan width ,distance between meatus and corona and type of catheter (all P<0 .05 ) .Conclusions Glan dehiscence is the most common complication after TIP hypospadias repair .Glan width ,distance between meatus and corona and type of catheter were obviously correlated with the development of glan dehiscence .A more extensive glans mobilization with >4 .5 mm distance between meatus and corona and 6Fr catheter regardless of age helps to minimize the occurrence of glan dehiscence .

目的 研究马兜铃酸肾病(AAN)合并上尿路尿路上皮癌(UTUC)患者的预后.方法 收集AAN合并UTUC患者(AAN组)42例作为研究对象,连续选取同期238例非AAN伴UTUC患者(非AAN组)作为对照组,所有患者均行单侧根治性手术,比较两组一般情况及术后预后.结果 两组患者在性别、年龄、肿瘤位置、合并同侧肾积水、及肿瘤分期上的差异无统计学意义.AAN组平均手术时间(142.3.3±26.4) min,非AAN组平均手术时间(146.0±32.5) min(P＞0.05).AAN组术中估计出血量(207.8±78.3)mL,而非AAN合并组估计出血量(194.5±90) mL(P＞0.05).AAN组死亡22例,总生存率为47.6％;非AAN组死亡78例,总生存率为67.2％,二者之间差异有统计学意义(P=0.014).其中AAN组有10例死于尿路上皮癌,其疾病特异性生存率76.2％,非AAN组有35例死于尿路上皮癌,其疾病特异性生存率85.3％ (P=0.091).两组无瘤复发生存率分别为40.5％、64.7％,组间差异有统计学意义(P=0.001).结论 AAN合并UTUC组无瘤复发生存率及总生存率明显低于非AAN伴UTUC患者,但两者疾病特异性生存率差异无统计学意义.

For efficient therapy, optimized polymer micelle drug delivery systems require stability during circulation, appropriate diameters for targeting, and controlled drug release at the lesion site. To enhance the stability, adjust the sizes, and improve the selectivity of drug release of micelles from polylactides and polypeptides, stereocomplex interaction has been introduced. Herein, the cholesterol (CHOL)-enhanced doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded poly(D-lactide)-based micelle (CDM/DOX), poly(L-lactide)-based micelle (CLM/DOX), and stereocomplex micelle (SCM/DOX) from the equimolar mixture of the enantiomeric 4-armed poly(ethylene glycol)-polylactide copolymers were reported to enhance tumor cell uptake and control drug release for treatment of cervical carcinoma. The introduction of hydrophobic CHOL further upregulated the stability, drug-loading capability, and cell uptake of micelles. All these DOX-loaded micelles showed appropriate sizes of ∼100 nm for the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect. Compared to CDM/DOX and CLM/DOX, SCM/DOX exhibited the highest cell uptake and the most efficient antitumor efficacy in vitro. For U14 cervical carcinoma mouse model, all of the DOX-loaded micelles, especially SCM/DOX, effectively inhibited the progression of cervical carcinoma, as demonstrated by nearly stagnant tumor growth and increased apoptosis and necrosis areas within tumor tissue. Furthermore, these DOX-loaded micelles effectively alleviated the systemic toxicity of DOX. All the above results suggest that the DOX-loaded micelles, especially SCM/DOX, are an ideal drug delivery system for combating cervical carcinoma.

Kidney-sparing surgery is the preferred treatment strategy for low-risk upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC). However, after this procedure, prevention of the carcinoma recurrence in the ureter and supporting the ureter with a ureteral stent are necessary. Biodegradable drug-loaded ureteral scaffolds are able to maintain their long-term effective drug concentrations in the lesion sites without the defects of traditional ureteral stents, which may address both issues simultaneously. The purpose of this study was to reveal the possibility of the controlled delivery of epirubicin (EPI) via gradiently degraded electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL)/poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffolds to evaluate their antitumor activity against UTUC. The degradable PCL/PLGA scaffolds containing 15.0 and 25.0 wt% PCL and loading of 0, 5.0, and 10.0 wt% EPI were successfully fabricated via electrospinning. In addition, the PCL/PLGA scaffolds showed sustained and controlled degradation and drug release kinetics, that is, their degradation and drug release rates slowed with an increase in the ratio of PCL. The EPI-loaded PCL/PLGA scaffolds showed excellent antitumor activities both in vitro and in vivo without apparent systemic toxicity. Overall, the gradiently-degraded EPI-loaded electrospun polyester scaffolds are potential ureteral stent tubes for the local inhibition of the recurrence of UTUC, where the continued release of EPI can prevent the subsequent proliferation of residual tumor cells, and the gradient degradation is consistent with the repair of the ureter.

Hormotherapy and chemotherapy are still the most important palliative therapeutic approaches for androgen-sensitive prostate cancer (PCa). Recently, the combination of hormotherapy and chemotherapy, namely, chemohormonal therapy has aroused considerable attention. Although synergistic chemohormonal therapy can improve PCa suppression efficacy and prolong the lives of patients, it also leads to severe adverse effects, that is, hormonal tolerance caused by hormotherapy, and leukemia or neutropenia caused by chemotherapy. Therefore, alleviating the adverse effects and improving anti-PCa efficacy are the focuses of the chemohormonal therapy for future researches. In this study, the commercial androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT), polyester microsphere Enantone (ENT), and polypeptide micelles loaded with a clinical antitumor agent mitoxantrone (MTO) are employed for micro/nanocarrier-assisted chemohormonal therapy. Encouragingly, the combined chemohormonal therapy significantly boosts antitumor efficacy and ameliorates side effects in preclinical assessments. With these benefits, the micro/nanocarrier-assisted chemohormonal therapy can be incorporated as an efficient clinical strategy for PCa patients.