Nanotechnology for Cancer Imaging: Advances, Challenges, and Clinical Opportunities

Nanoparticle (NP) imaging applications have the potential to improve cancer diagnostics, therapeutics, and treatment management. In biomedical research and clinical practice, NPs can serve as labels or labeled carriers for monitoring drug delivery or serve as imaging agents for enhanced imaging contrast, as well as providing improved signal sensitivity and specificity for in vivo imaging of molecular and cellular processes. These qualities offer exciting opportunities for NP-based imaging agents to address current limitations in oncologic imaging. Despite substantial advancements in NP design and development, very few NP-based imaging agents have translated into clinics within the past 5 years. This review highlights some promising NP-enabled imaging techniques and their potential to address current clinical cancer imaging limitations. Although most examples provided herein are from the preclinical space, discussed imaging solutions could offer unique in vivo tools to solve biologic questions, improve cancer treatment effectiveness, and inspire clinical translation innovation to improve patient care. Keywords: Molecular Imaging-Cancer, Molecular Imaging-Nanoparticles, Molecular Imaging-Optical Imaging, Metastases, Oncology, Surgery, Treatment Effects.