ABSTRACT
Ceramics, such as Bioglass®, hydroxyapatite, and glass-ceramic A-W, can bond to living bone. These are known as bioactive ceramics and are used clinically as bone substitutes. Inorganic-organic composite materials such as hydroxyapatite-collagen and octacalcium phosphate-collagen composites, and carbonate apatite are also used clinically. In addition, ceramics are being applied for cancer treatment. Radioactive yttrium aluminosilicate glass microspheres are used for intra-arterial radiotherapy for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma, and magnetic fluid containing magnetite nanoparticles is used in hyperthermia treatment for brain tumors. Thus, ceramics have great potential as biomaterials for bone repair and cancer treatment. In recent years, ceramics with superior therapeutic effects and novel functions have been proposed, such as yttrium oxide microspheres for intra-arterial radiotherapy, and iron nitride for hyperthermia treatment, as well as bioresponsive and antibacterial materials.
