Plasmonic nanoparticle-based surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy-guided photothermal therapy: emerging cancer theranostics

Abstract

Optical imaging modalities have emerged as a keystone in oncological research, capable of providing molecular and cellular information on cancer with the advantage of being minimally invasive toward healthy tissues. Photothermal therapy (PTT) has shown great potential, with the exceptional advantages of high specificity and noninvasiveness. Combining surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS)-based optical imaging with PTT has shown tremendous potential in cancer theranostics (therapeutics + diagnosis). This comprehensive review article provides up-to-date information by exploring recent works focused mainly on the development of plasmonic nanoparticles for medical applications using SERS-guided PTT, including the fundamental principles behind SERS and the plasmon heating effect for PTT.

Keywords: cancer theranostics; photothermal therapy; plasmonic nanoparticles; surface functionalization; surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy; toxicity.