Nanotechnology in diagnosis and therapy of gastrointestinal cancer

Table 1 Summary of types of nanodevices and their properties

NP type	Properties	Advantages	Limitations	Ref.
Iron	Imaging: MRI contrast, lymph nodes; antigen/receptor ligand, magnetic targeting; multiple treatment opportunities	Simplicity; low cost; high reproducibility	Adverse events in clinical use: Hypotension, lumbar pain and paresthesia	[63,64]
QDs	Passive and active targeting; imaging through tunable autofluorescence; multiple treatment opportunities	Excellent PLQY; high photostability and biocompatibility; extreme fast synthesis	Toxicity	[65]
Carbon	Passive and active targeting; treatment: Therapeutic cargo delivery; imaging: Visible, infrared	Lightweight, chemically and thermally stable; high tensile strength and conductivity; high resolution and good penetration into the tissue	Adverse events in clinical use: Inflammation, fibrosis	[66]
Gold	Imaging: MRI contrast, fluorescence, optical properties; multiple treatment opportunities	Adjusted optical properties; high biocompatibility	Adverse events in clinical use: Nephrotoxicity	[67]
Polymers	Passive targeting; antigen/receptor ligand targeting; tumor microenvironment-dependent drug release	High thermal stability, biocompatibility; good biodegradability and controlled drug release ability Inhibition of bacterial growth	Toxicity	[69,70]

NP: Nanoparticle; MRI: Magnetic resonance imaging; QDs: Quantum dot; PLQY: Photoluminescent quantum yield.