A Mini Review of Nano-Structured Metal for Cancer Treatment

Abstract

Nanostructured metal materials have attracted much attention in cancer treatment field because of their special properties, like large surface area, tunable shape and size, and good physical and chemical stability. Many kinds of nanostructured metal can be used in different cancer therapy methods, such as photothermal therapy, radiotherapy, Reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and drug delivery. With the development of controllable synthesis methods, progressively morphologies such as rod, shell, cage, and branched type can be made, which benefit to strong response in light, magnetic field, or radial-frequency (RF), and applied in specific targeted lesion area. These metal nanomaterials also can be used for combined treatment and diagnosis. In this mini review, we introduce recent progress of nanostructured metal in cancer therapy, and also talk about their working mechanism, structure design, and possible problems for future clinical applications.