Abstract. In recent years, magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have demonstrated marked progress in the field of oncology. General nanoparticles are widely used in tumor targeting, and the intrinsic magnetic property of MNPs makes them the most promising nanomaterial to be used as contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and induced magnetic hyperthermia. The properties of MNPs are fully exploited when they are used as drug delivery agents, wherein drugs may be targeted to the desired specific location in vivo by application of an external magnetic field. Early diagnosis of cancer may be achieved by MRI, therefore, individualized treatment may be combined with MRI, so as to achieve the precise definition and appropriate treatment. In the present review, research on MNPs in cancer diagnosis, drug delivery and treatment has been summarized. Furthermore, the future perspectives and challenges of MNPs in the field of oncology are also discussed.
IntroductionMagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) are a kind of intelligent nanomagnetic material, with small particle size, large specific surface area, magnetic response and superparamagnetism (1). MNPs may be assembled and positioned under a constant magnetic field, and the heat is absorbed by the electromagnetic wave in the alternating magnetic field. In biomedical applications, MNPs are generally in the superparamagnetic state (2,3). The most frequently used nanomaterial is the iron oxide nanoparticle, including magnetite (Fe 3 O 4 ) and maghemite (γ-Fe 2 O 3 ) (4). It is well known that MNPs have an important role in cancer diagnosis, drug delivery and treatment. For cancer diagnosis, tumor imaging technology opened the possibility of early detection of disease. Common imaging modalities include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (5), magneto acoustic tomography (MAT) (6), computed tomography (CT) (7) and near-infrared (NIR) imaging (8). Among them, MRI has a strong influence in the early diagnosis of cancer, and superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) are the most representative as a contrast agent for MRI (9). Currently, certain iron oxide-based MNPs have been approved for use in clinical MRI, for example ferumoxil (GastroMARK) enhances imaging of the bowel (10). Due to the small size and large specific surface area of MNPs, they are able to easily reach the location of the lesion (11). Therefore, MNPs as a drug carrier for drug delivery is an application that cannot be ignored. This property of MNPs is fully exploited when they are used as drug delivery agents, wherein drugs may be targeted to the desired specific location in vivo by application of an external magnetic field (12). In general, MNPs are used as drug carriers by binding antibodies (13) and chemotherapeutic drugs (14). Commonly, chemotherapeutic drugs are loaded in MNPs, and they are involved in cancer treatment. MNPs in the field of cancer therapy are generally used in several different ways: Chemotherapy; magnetic hyperthermia (MHT) (15); photodynamic therapy (PDT) (16); and photothermal ther...