Nanotechnology on Radiation Oncology (Term Paper Sample)

Nanotechnology on Radiation Oncology
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Nanotechnology on Radiation Oncology
Nanotechnology refers to the use of matter at either molecular or atomic scale in which quantum mechanical impacts are significant in the application over a range of scientific fields. The technology has been applied in the field of medicine where it is referred to as Nanomedicine. In the medical field nanoelectronic biosensors, nanomaterials, and molecular biotechnology are applied in oncology, surgical procedures, visualization techniques, tissue engineering, antibiotic resistance, immune response modulation, and Arthroscopy for both therapeutic and diagnostic interventions. In oncology, the technology is beneficial in imaging tumors. In some instances, nanotechnology has been used with magnetic resonance imaging to produce perfect images instead of organic dye because the nanoparticles are brighter in imaging than organic dyes. This property makes the technology appealing in radiation oncology because of the best contrast created by the particles (TopÇul & ÇetÄ°n, 2013). This paper provides details of nanotechnology for radiation oncology under which it will cover different applications of the technology in the study of neoplasm and management of patients suffering from neoplasm. These include cancer diagnosis, targeting medication, homing on the tumor, killing cancer cells, localizing therapy, and improving imaging.
With the advent of nanotechnology new and highly improved biomedical appliances and materials have been developed in radiation oncology. Diagnostic and therapeutic approaches are of special interest given that they have benefited the most from the technology. The technology has made molecular therapeutics is the direction for managing cancer and nuclear medicine a passion for scientists to provide solutions to problems that have made neoplasm the most threatening scourge in the world (TopÇul & ÇetÄ°n, 2013). Some of the problems that are likely to be solved with nanotechnology in radiation oncology include providing a solution to the lack of specificity portrayed by the conventional radiotherapy methods. The old techniques could not identify cancer cells precisely from normal cells resulting in injury to a large area and death to normal cells. Injury to normal cells causes detrimental effects such as systemic toxicity and decrease quality of life. Nanotechnology has also provided diversification of nuclear medicine application in the radiation oncology and successful management of cancer patients as it will be discussed in details, in this paper.
The particles given their small sizes have large surface area to volume ratio, a property that allows nanoparticles to get incorporated and accumulate in tumor cells due to insufficient lymphatic drainage that can clear the tumors of nanoparticles. The phenomenon allows the cancer cells to be targeted and killed through radiation. It also improves imaging of the tumor resulting in localization of therapy with precision. The nanoparticles attached to the tumor cells can be used to concentrate radio waves around the tumor resulting in the death of cancer cells around the nanoparticles. The attachment and accumulation of these particles in cancer cells have been used to develop sensor chips which use radiation and nanowires to detect tumor markers. Neoplasm tends to produce specific proteins and molecules even at the early stages of the disease; therefore, with nanotechnology, the sensor chips can detect these markers as early as possible, and enables the timely diagnosis of neoplasm (Bouamrani, Serda & Ferrari, 2009). This application of nanotechnology uses radiation to pass signals between the nanoparticles and sensor chips and it is beneficial as a diagnostic procedure in oncology.
In radiotherapy, the nanoparticles can be coated with gold, peptides and antibodies specific to cancer cells to form nanoshells. Nanoshells are directed to accumulate in the cancer cells, and the area of accumulation irradiated to kill tumor cells. Infrared radiation from the laser is essential in this application because the waves have the ability to penetrate the normal tissue without cellular injury. Infrared radiation heats the nanoshells attached to the tumor cells resulting in the destruction of the neoplasm. This application of nanotechnology on radiation oncology is of numerous benefits, but most important of all include the ability to focus on the tumor during irradiation, reduced injury to normal cells, it is specific to the type of tumor, and its effectiveness is desirable. The technology also allows radiotherapy to be used in early stages of tumors for the curative effect. The technology can also allow the radiation rods used in radiotherapy to be passed through small incisions to the tumor site and irradiate the cancer cells with direct vision due to the light and contrast created by the nanoparticles (Bouamrani, Serda & Ferrari, 2009). Smaller incision and focused irradiation reduce the complications of radiotherapy significantly. Nanotechnology has, therefore, made significant contributions to radiation oncology, and it should be embraced in radiotherapy.
Nanotechnology is the basis for photodynamic therapy, where cancer cells can be killed by non-ionizing radiation. In this technique, nanoparticles are introduced into the body and allowed to bind to the cancer cells. Light is then used to illuminate the nanoparticles; the particles accumulate the low frequency radiation to an extent of heating the cancer cells to death. The mechanism includes generation of molecules with high energy oxygen, which have the ability to react and cause destruction to organic molecules such as cancer cells without adverse effects or long term toxicity to the adjacent cells. This application of nanotechnology on radiation oncology has the advantages of killing neoplasm cells only where light is illuminated, does not leave behind a toxic trail; it is non-invasive but effective in destroying tumor cells hence stopping further growth of the tumor. Apart from photodynamic therapy, nanoparticles derived from cadmium selenide have the advantage of reflecting light when exposed to non-ionizing radiations such as ultraviolet light (Conde, Doria & Baptista, 2012). Nanoparticles, for that matter, can be used in surgery to direct the surgeon while removing tumors. The glowing particles are introduced in the suspected tumor cite, cancer cells accumulate the particles and glows when ultraviolet light strikes the site. Nanotechnology has used this technique to allow surgeons remove tumors more accurately than when other techniques are employed. The technique can also be used in radiology to monitor the size of tumors and their response to chemotherapeutic intervention. Nanotechnology is, therefore, useful in radiation oncology.
Nanotechnology is currently used during radiotherapy to enhance the dose of radiation administered to the patient. This technique is employed over chemical radio-sensitizers and the use of excess high energy ionizing radiation to kill cancer cells, which have the disadvantage of toxicity. The interest in the technology developed with the findings that reported greater absorption of photo-electricity within the neoplasm cells than the neighboring normal cells when particles or materials of high atomic numbers are loaded directly into the tumors with the use of nanoparticles (Conde, Doria & Baptista, 2012). The greater absorption is vital in enhancing the dose used to kill the tumor cells during radiotherapy. The technique has widely explored and used gold as the best radio-sensitizer during radiotherapy. The preference is derived to the fact that gold particles portray the desired properties of nanoparticles. Gold particles have the ability to form oxygen radicals which are highly reactive and kill tumor cells during irradiation. Gold particles are the best in radiation oncology because of their small size particles, high permeability resulting in affinity and retention in the tumor cells, and biocompatibility which are essential qualities of any viable nanoparticle. Despite 2 nm gold particles being preferred in interventions, observations have reported that gold nanoparticles of 50 nm have the advantage of providing the highest uptake into the tumor cells (Conde, Doria & Baptista, 2012).
Nanotechnology application in radiation oncology is rapidly advancing because evidence based practice and organized studies have confirmed better outcome than before when the technology is incorporated in radiotherapy. Patients have improved drastically; tumors are diagnosed in very early stages, and the intervention is effective. The effectiveness of nanotechnology is partly attributed to the enhancement of radio-sensitivity of tumor cells due to continued dissipation of further low energy, but potent electrons. Scholars have suggested that the electrons are perhaps produced, due to the fact that nanoparticles such as gold have the increased capability to absorb numerous amounts of the ionizing radiation administered during irradiation (Hamoudeh, Kamleh, Diab & Fessi, 2008). The metal nature or the thick substrate associated with gold particles increases the absorption of ionizing radiation, concentrate the dose in the tumor cells, and enhance killing of neoplasm cells. Nanotechnology has, therefore, offered a very novel approach in radiation oncology which should be embraced and advanced further through scientific research. Although the technology is already applicable in radiotherapy treatment of neoplasm, further research is required to make optimal use of low energy, short range secondary electrons emitted by the gold nanoparticles. This is because, on average; it has been shown that a single gold nanoparticle can inflict considerable damage to c...