Role of Gold Nanoparticles in Early Detection of Oral Cancer

Abstract

The high mortality rate in cancer such as oral squamous cell carcinoma is commonly attributed to the difficulties in detecting the disease at an early treatable stage and "war with cancer" is still on. Intense research has led to a more comprehensive understanding of cancer at the genetic, molecular, and cellular levels providing an avenue for methods of increasing early diagnosis and treatment of oral cancer. Nanotechnology is the science of the small; the very small. It is the use and manipulation of matter at a tiny scale. At this size, atoms and molecules work differently and provide a variety of surprising and interesting uses. These nanoparticles can be used to detect/mondor cancer (by utilizing or adding optical, magnetic, and fluorescent properties). This novel imaging tool can lead to significant improvements in cancer therapy due to earlier detection, accurate staging and microtumor identification. In this review, we will summarize the current state of the art of gold nanoparticles in early detection of oral cancer.

Keywords

• Nanotechnology
• gold nanoparticles
• cancer