Gold Nanoparticles in Cancer Therapeutics and Diagnostics

Conventional treatment for cancer is done by chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and/or surgery, which work by inhibiting the growth of the rapidly dividing neoplastic cells and excision of the neoplastic tissue, respectively. These methods affect the healthy tissues along with the diseased ones, as chemotherapeutic agents often cause toxicity in the body and a variety of unfavorable side effects, which can highly impair bodily functions. Otherwise, while operating, there is the danger of some cancerous cells not being excised or unnecessary additional removal of healthy tissues, again causing the patient to lose some functionality of their body. The emerging field of nanotechnology helps to revolutionize imaging and therapeutic management in cancer. The use of metallic nanoparticles, especially those derived from an inert metal like gold, which has a great list of advantages such as high biocompatibility, non-toxicity, easy synthesis, and effective functionality, makes this innovative technology crucial for further propagation of this field. These nanoparticles have a dual function, i.e., helping in precise fluorescent bioimaging and drug delivery of potent medication to specific tissue sites without affecting the general area highly in a negative fashion. Thus, integrating these methods into current clinical practice would advance our methods for diagnostics as well as treatment while decreasing the stress on the patient, overall elevating medical practices.