Image-Guided Sentinel Lymph Node Mapping and Nanotechnology-Based Nodal Treatment in Lung Cancer Using Invisible Near-Infrared Fluorescent Light

Abstract

Current methods for sentinel lymph node (SLN) mapping and nodal treatment in lung cancer remain inadequate for routine clinical use. Here we discuss the potential for using the combination of invisible near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent light and nanotechnology for these applications. NIR fluorescence imaging has recently received significant attention for in vivo imaging applications because of its low tissue autofluorescence, high photon penetration into living tissue, and high signal-to-background ratio. Our large animal in vivo studies have been able to successfully identify sentinel lymph nodes in lung tissue and several clinical studies have examined the use of NIR fluorescence imaging systems for SLN mapping in breast and gastric cancer. Promising new nanoparticle technologies, when combined with NIR fluorescence imaging, offer the potential for image-guided treatment of lymph nodes at high risk for tumor recurrence. This review provides a theoretical and empirical framework for developing the next-generation of diagnostic and therapeutic agents for lung cancer.

Ultrasmall Fluorescent Silica Nanoparticles as Intraoperative Imaging Tools for Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment

“…Many articles have provided a detailed discussion on the newer-generation nontargeted activatable [6][7][8] and targeted organic fluorophores [9][10][11], gadolinium-labeled dendrimers [12][13][14] and other nanocarriers [15], and macromolecular agents [14,[16][17][18][19][20][21], including dual-modality particle imaging probes for use in image-guided procedures. One of these newer generation hybrid particle probes, C dots, an ultrasmall, cancer-targeted, fluorescent silica particle, exhibits unique physicochemical and photophysical properties, which can be exploited in a variety of surgically driven and/or minimally invasive/interventional settings.…”

Advances in the application of nanotechnology in the diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal tumors

“…NIR light possesses promising characteristics, such as high signal-to-background ratio, high photon penetration into living tissues and low tissue autofluorescence, which have attracted significant attention for use in biomedical imaging (34). The NIR QDs have been reported to be a practical imaging tool for simultaneous visualization of SLNs (35,36).…”

Genetic Assembly of Double‐Layered Fluorescent Protein Nanoparticles for Cancer Targeting and Imaging

“…Real‐time image‐guided surgery recently has attracted considerable attention in surgical cancer treatment,1 which depends on intraoperative imaging techniques to guide the surgical procedure. For intraoperative imaging, fluorescence techniques that can visualize specific cancer tissues using fluorescent contrast agents are in general better suited than other nonoptical imaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET) 2.…”