Open AccessAn update on nanoparticle usage in breast cancer imaging
Author(s) -
Waller Joseph,
DeStefano Kyle,
Chiu Barbara,
Jang Isabel,
Cole Yonesha,
Agyemang Charles,
Miao Tyler,
Shah Jaffer,
Martin Clarissa,
Umair Muhammad
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
nano select
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2688-4011
DOI - 10.1002/nano.202100320
Subject(s) - breast cancer , photothermal therapy , nanotechnology , nanomedicine , nanocarriers , materials science , mammography , metastasis , cancer , medicine , biomedical engineering , nanoparticle , cancer research
The objective of this literature review is to highlight both the recent promises of Nanoparticles (NPs) for breast imaging and potential solutions to the challenges that arise with using different types of NPs. Methods We searched for key terms on PubMed including NPs, MRI, CT, and contrast agent (CA). We selected 57 articles published from 2012 to 2020 and discussed NP such as nanocarriers, titanium oxide tubes, and carbon nanotubes, as well as gold, gold‐silver alloy, silver, magnetic, gadolinium dicarbide, allochroic, and calcium phosphate. Results While early studies on NPs investigated their ability to target breast cancer stem cells, as well as enable the visualization of metastasis and deliver therapeutic agents with minimal toxicity, newer particles demonstrate a greater multifunctionality of NPs than previously thought. In this review, we use existing research to demonstrate the surprisingly broad range of applications of NPs with regards to breast cancer and imaging, which includes activating immune cells, identifying protein signatures for early‐stage breast cancer, and ablating tumors through a laser irradiation‐triggered photothermal effect. Conclusion With the multifunctionality of NPs in mind and the challenges associated with imaging breast tissue, specifically mammographically dense breast tissue, the current knowledge of NPs should be reviewed for potential use in mammograms.