Mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) in cancer therapy: Full of hope and promise

Implementing novel approaches for cancer therapy are under continuous progress, and bioactive glasses (BGs) and glass-ceramics show excellent potential in this regard. Although these materials have been mostly used as magnetic substances in hyperthermia approach, some of their subsets, i.e., mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs), have been recently proposed not only as magnetic materials but also as drug delivery systems for advanced treatment of bone cancer. Different types of MBGs including granular particles and three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds can be applied for cancer therapy. Based on the results obtained from in vitro studies, MBGs seem to have a bright future in the therapeutic strategies to combat cancer; however, their application in this field is still in its beginning, and more research needs to reveal all pros and cons of this newly proposed approach. © 2019 Elsevier B.V