A novel treatment regimen is described for the control and elimination of cancer cell populations including cancer stem cells. The disclosed protocol consists of a pretreatment step followed by a treatment step. The pretreatment step sensitizes cancer cells to apoptosis by altering their intracellular oxidation-reduction state via reduced glutathione depletion. The treatment step involves the sequential administration of a cancerostatic dicarbonyl compound to induce apoptosis. The use of nanoparticle delivery systems further enhances both the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic properties of the pretreatment compounds and the cancerostatic dicarbonyls. Since the pretreatment and treatment compounds are carefully selected and delivered, normal cells are not affected and side effects are kept to a minimum.
