Chapter 12 - Gold nanocarriers in tumor diagnosis, imaging, drug delivery, and therapy

Abstract

Tumors or neoplasms refer to the growth of abnormal tissues resulting in extraneous outgrowth that can easily be differentiated from surrounding tissues. They lead to metastatic cancer, which is the major cause of death worldwide. The incidence rate of cancer is growing at an alarming rate in the world. These tumors develop from a single clone of cells that tend to grow uncontrolled manner and can give rise to benign or malignant tumors. Benign tumors are extra growths that do not metastasize or invade neighboring tissue, whereas malignant tumors invade surrounding healthy tissue. Detecting these tumors at an early stage can be tricky and poses a major problem in diagnosis and therapy. The most common means of tumor imaging are computed tomography, which provides cross-sectional imaging of tumors using X-rays, magnetic resonance imaging, which uses a powerful magnetic field to examine tumors in the head and neck region, and positron emission tomography, which uses a radioactive tracer given to the patient and is detected by scintigraphy. On the other hand, endoscopic examinations are carried out to inspect tumors in the gastrointestinal tract, bronchial tubes, cervix, and prostate regions, whereas in mammography, X-ray images are used to examine tumors in the breast region. These procedures use powerful radiation and strong electron beams, which can hamper the health of patients, causing acute damage to the body. Alternative diagnosis techniques use gold nanocarriers, which can be useful in tumor imaging as well as the targeted delivery of drugs to the tumor site. This dual nature of gold nanocarriers has made them favorable for use in imaging, diagnosis, and therapeutic applications. This chapter deals with the properties, nature, and uses of gold nanocarriers in diagnostic and therapeutic applications, which can be a turning point in the medical field in coming years, ensuring dual benefits to patients.