Nanotechnology in Cancer Diagnostics and Therapeutics: A Review

Cancer is the uncontrolled proliferation of cells that involves accumulation of genetic mutations by different types of mutagens including physical, chemical, and biological. Consequently, normal cell cycles get interrupted. Immunological assays, histopathological tests, polymerase chain reaction, computed tomography, magnetic resonance, and radiation therapy are some conventional techniques for cancer diagnostics. However, these techniques are not only expensive, time-consuming, tedious but also toxic to healthy cells. Therefore, these limitations are overcome by nanodevices that show high sensitivity, selectivity, rapidity, and cost-effectiveness in the detection of cancer biomarkers. Electrochemical biosensors are more efficient in the early diagnosis of cancers that help in patients' effective and timely treatment. Distinct types of nanotools viz. inorganic, organic, and polymeric nanomaterials are used in cancer therapeutics. Nano approaches have shown many advantages: they are site-specific, require meager amounts of drugs, limited toxicity, avoid drug resistance, and are more efficient, sensitive, and reliable. Therefore, future research should focus on developing highly inventive nanotools for the diagnosis and therapeutics of cancers.