• Nanotheranostic platforms in cancer diagnosis: A review of recent medical imaging advancements
  • Samad Hasani,1,* Yunus Soleymani,2
    1. Department of Radiology, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran
    2. Department of Neuroscience and Addiction Studies, School of Advanced Technologies in Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran


  • Introduction: The application of nanotheranostics has gained significant attention for its broad utility in cancer therapy and molecular imaging. Nanoparticles show great promise for early cancer detection. However, it is important to thoroughly examine other factors such as drug release, bio-distribution, accumulation in target tissues, and treatment effectiveness. Recent studies on the use of nanotheranostics as a contrast agent in various imaging modalities. The main objective of this review is to explore the latest developments in nanotheranostics for cancer diagnosis.
  • Methods: We searched PubMed and Scopus databases and imported relevant articles into citation manager software. After screening, we reviewed 15 completely relevant papers.
  • Results: After a thorough review of the papers, it has been discovered that the use of nanotheranostics platforms has been combined with different imaging modalities for the early detection of cancer. These modalities include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), ultrasound, positron emission tomography (PET), and a combination of these in hybrid imaging. It is essential to consider that MRI has limitations, including low sensitivity and long imaging time. To enhance its signal, contrast agents can be employed, which can either be negative (ferromagnetic) or positive (paramagnetic). Gadolinium is a commonly used contrast agent in MRI, but its short lifetime during blood circulation presents a challenge. To address this, low molecular weight contrast agents can be fused to macromolecules like polysaccharides, such as pullulan. Ultrasound is a real‐time non‐invasive method with high soft tissue image contrast. Contrast agents used in this modality are non-microbubbles including echogenic liposomes, perfluorocarbon nanodroplets, solid nanoparticles, and gas‐filled microbubbles. On the other hand, contrast media, such as iodine, tungsten, and barium, are commonly used in CT to improve soft tissue contrast. PET/C is often used in conjunction with CT for multi-modality imaging. Also, PET/MRI imaging techniques can detect lesions and tumors from both functional and anatomical perspectives. These techniques can be effective in diagnosing prostate, breast, and lung cancer by coating SPIONs with N-trimethyl chitosan (TMC) and targeting ligands like bombesin (BN), and using the chelator S-2-(4-isothiocyanato benzyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane tetraacetic acid (DOTA).
  • Conclusion: Nanotheranostics is of great importance in the early diagnosis of cancers especially when combined with the advantages of various imaging modalities. Nonetheless, further studies are needed to investigate the properties and pharmacokinetics of nanotheranostics in various models in vitro and in vivo for their clinical applications.
  • Keywords: Nanotheranostics, Cancer Diagnosis, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Computed Tomography