Graphene as cancer theranostic tool: progress and future challenges

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Materials Science
• Oncology

Background:

• Cancer remains a leading global cause of death, necessitating improved diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.
• Traditional cancer treatments face limitations due to lack of specificity and systemic toxicity.
• Nanomaterials offer potential for targeted cancer therapy with reduced side effects and integrated diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review literature on graphene and its derivatives (graphene oxide, reduced graphene oxide) for cancer therapy and diagnosis.
• To analyze the current state-of-the-art in graphene-based cancer theranostics.
• To identify future challenges and innovative applications of graphene in oncology.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature review of studies utilizing graphene-based materials for cancer treatment and diagnosis.
• Analysis of application trends, including drug/gene delivery, photothermal therapy, imaging, and theranostics.
• Categorization of research based on combined diagnostic and therapeutic modalities.

Main Results:

• Significant and increasing research interest in graphene for cancer applications.
• Dominant applications include drug/gene delivery (73%), photothermal therapy (32%), and imaging (31%).
• Theranostic applications, combining imaging and therapy, are a growing area (27%).

Conclusions:

• Graphene-based cancer theranostics are in an early but rapidly advancing stage.
• The integration of diagnosis and therapy using nanomaterials like graphene holds revolutionary potential for medicine.
• Further research is needed to overcome challenges and realize the full potential of graphene in personalized cancer care.