Progress of nanoparticles research in cancer therapy and diagnosis

In recent years, extensive studies in the field of nanomedicine have been focused on alternatives to conventional cancer treatments. Nanoparticles, due to their size and the ability to adjust their properties for specific biological requests, have emerged as promising drug-delivery systems for cytostatic drugs. In particular, magnetic nanoparticles represent promising nanotechnological platforms in the progress of strategies for prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of cancer. Novel applications of magnetic nanoparticles as drug nanocarriers for the therapy of different oncological diseases are discussed, together with imaging characteristics that recommend them as contrast agents in magnetic resonance imaging applications.