Abstract
Current clinical methods for cancer diagnosis and therapy have limitations, although survival periods are increasing as medical technologies develop. In most cancer cases, patient survival is closely related to cancer stage. Late-stage cancer after metastasis is very challenging to cure because current surgical removal of cancer is not precise enough and significantly affects bystander normal tissues. Moreover, the subsequent chemotherapy and radiation therapy affect not only malignant tumors, but also healthy tissues. Nanotechnologies for cancer treatment have the clear objective of solving these issues. Nanoparticles have been developed to more accurately differentiate early-stage malignant tumors and to treat only the tumors while dramatically minimizing side effects. In this review, we focus on recent chitosan-based nanoparticles developed with the goal of accurate cancer imaging and effective treatment. Regarding imaging applications, we review optical and magnetic resonance cancer imaging in particular. Regarding cancer treatments, we review various therapeutic methods that use chitosan-based nanoparticles, including chemo-, gene, photothermal, photodynamic and magnetic therapies.
Highlights
Cancer is one of the most dangerous human diseases and is the second leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States
Nanotechnologies have been applied for cancer therapy due to their ability to overcome the current limitations of cancer diagnosis and therapy
While in vivo optical imaging is not utilized on humans owing to its limited tissue penetration depth, it can be combined with another imaging modality, such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) in fluorescence-guided surgery approaches that can improve the precision of tumor removal [8]
Summary
The incidence of cancer remains constant, but the survival rate has gradually increased from 49%–68% since the 1970s. This can be explained by technological advancements in cancer diagnosis and therapy. The 10-year survival rate for patients with early detected breast, colorectal and prostate cancers is about 80% [2]. Cancer patients with later diagnosis are treated by means of painful and long-lasting chemotherapy and radiation therapy with invasive surgery, with severe side effects, such as hair loss, vomiting, diarrhea and blood disorders. The cause of cancer is explained by multiple factors, such as the interplay between genetic mutations and various environmental factors, including foods, viruses, chemicals and ionizing radiation. Nanotechnologies have been applied for cancer therapy due to their ability to overcome the current limitations of cancer diagnosis and therapy
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
