Magnetic nanoparticles in cancer diagnosis, drug delivery and treatment (Review)

Meijia Wu, Shengwu Huang
2017 Molecular and clinical oncology  
In recent years, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have demonstrated marked progress in the field of oncology. General nanoparticles are widely used in tumor targeting, and the intrinsic magnetic property of MNPs makes them the most promising nanomaterial to be used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and induced magnetic hyperthermia. The properties of MNPs are fully exploited when they are used as drug delivery agents, wherein drugs may be targeted to the desired specific
more » ... ion in vivo by application of an external magnetic field. Early diagnosis of cancer may be achieved by MRI, therefore, individualized treatment may be combined with MRI, so as to achieve the precise definition and appropriate treatment. In the present review, research on MNPs in cancer diagnosis, drug delivery and treatment has been summarized. Furthermore, the future perspectives and challenges of MNPs in the field of oncology are also discussed. Cancer diagnosis When cancer is discovered earlier, the cure rate is greatly improved. Therefore, early detection and timely diagnosis of cancer is key to reduce the mortality rate of patients (18). Tumor imaging technology has an important role in cancer diagnosis and the choice of late clinical treatment options. Furthermore, MNPs are the contrast agents that are most widely researched and used in cancer imaging. Here, the imaging methods and the imaging positions of MNPs are discussed.
doi:10.3892/mco.2017.1399 pmid:29075487 pmcid:PMC5649002 fatcat:lzkgsthnynb7vhussonabumfwy