Melanoma is a fast-progressing skin cancer characterized by a high mortality rate after metastasis. Local chemotherapy could be considered a
Melanoma is a fast-progressing skin cancer characterized by a high mortality rate after metastasis. Local chemotherapy could be considered a therapeutic approach only in stage 0 of progression (in situ melanoma) and in the postoperative phase after surgical removal of suspected skin lesions. For this purpose, drugs such as Imiquimod, 5-Fluorouracil, Dacarbazine, and Doxorubicin have been tested and shown positive effects. Recently, metal nanoparticles as separate therapeutic units or drug carriers have also fallen into the research focus. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), in particular, are widely recognized as multifunctional tools in nanomedicine, drug delivery, and theranostics. They exert wide-spectrum antimicrobial and anti-tumor properties but their pharmacological effects are in a tight bond with the so-called "surface functionality." For example, negatively charged and spherical particles are proven less toxic than positively charged particles, especially irregularly shaped (e.g., rods, wires, etc.). Still, because of this, the former are less potent anti-cancer agents.
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