Recent progress in multifunctional theranostic inorganic nanomaterials for cancer diagnostic imaging and therapy

The clinical management of cancer encompasses a wide array of conventional treatment options and numerous FDA-approved drugs; nevertheless, cancer continues to be one of the major reasons of death, mainly due to delayed diagnosis and restricted therapeutic efficacy. Recent advancements in nanotechnology have significantly enhanced the quality of the patient’s life, mainly through advanced diagnostic techniques and by developments in the field of nanomedicine for targeted drug delivery. This review explores the potential of inorganic multifunctional nanoparticles-(IMNPs) such as gold nanoparticles (Au NPs), quantum dots (QDs), mesoporous silica NPs (MSN NPs), copper NPs (Cu NPs), and magnetic (MNPs) in cancer theranostics nanomedicines. Furthermore, the recent progress in the utilization of these IMNPs for imaging and therapy of multidrug resistant cancers have been highlighted, illustrating their ability to facilitate real-time molecular tracking and enhance the therapeutic potential. The insights discussed in this review contribute to the strategic design of next-generation nanocarriers to address the limitations in cancer management and advancing clinical translation. • Discusses recent advancements in inorganic nanomaterials for cancer theranostics. • Highlights multifunctional roles of AuNPs, QDs, MSNs, CuNPs, and MNPs. • Explores real-time imaging and targeted therapy using nanocarriers. • Emphasizes strategies to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer. • Provides insights into clinical translation of inorganic nanotheranostics.