The application of nanomaterials (NMs) in biomedicine is increasing rapidly
and offers excellent prospects for the development of new non-invasive strategies
for the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. In this review, we provide a
brief description of cancer pathology and the characteristics that are important
for tumor-targeted NM design, followed by an overview of the different
types of NMs explored to date, covering synthetic aspects and approaches
explored for their application in unimodal and multimodal imaging, diagnosis
and therapy. Signifi cant synthetic advances now allow for the preparation of
NMs with highly controlled geometry, surface charge, physicochemical properties,
and the decoration of their surfaces with polymers and bioactive molecules
in order to improve biocompatibility and to achieve active targeting.
This is stimulating the development of a diverse range of nanometer-sized
objects that can recognize cancer tissue, enabling visualization of tumors,
delivery of anti-cancer drugs and/or the destruction of tumors by different
therapeutic techniques. |