Abstract

Cancer is a leading cause of death, the second most common cause, exceeded only by heart disease. Still, the current clinical imaging methods and treatments are in many situations unable to provide timely detection and curative therapy. The field of drug delivery stands to be significant advances in nanotechnology and benefits of novel nanotechnology in oncology already starts. New strategies are being designed to deliver chemotherapeutic drugs or imaging agents to the tumor at higher concentrations with minimal damage to normal tissues. This review will focus on how nanoparticles are able to function as carriers for chemotherapeutic drugs to increase their therapeutic index; how can be used as imaging agents to detect and monitor cancer progression.

Authors and Affiliations