Cancer Nanotechnology : Principles and Applications in Radiation Oncology

This comprehensive volume demonstrates how the unique physicochemical properties of nanoparticles lead to novel strategies for cancer treatment and detection. After an introduction to the first principles of radiation physics and radiation biology, the book discusses fabrication of nanoparticles, safety of nanoparticles, and the quantification of nanoparticle accumulation within tissues. Successive chapters highlight the computational and experimental techniques that underlie the use of nanoparticles for imaging and treating tumors. The book concludes with regulatory issues related to human use and a summary of envisioned clinical translation.

Rapid advances in nanotechnology have enabled the fabrication of nanoparticles from various materials with different shapes, sizes, and properties, and efforts are ongoing to exploit these materials for practical clinical applications. Nanotechnology is particularly relevant in the field of oncology, as the leaky and chaotic vasculature of tumors—a hallmark of unrestrained growth—results in the passive accumulation of nanoparticles within tumors.

is a compilation of research in the arena of nanoparticles and radiation oncology, which lies at the intersection of disciplines as diverse as clinical radiation oncology, radiation physics and biology, nanotechnology, materials science, and biomedical engineering. The book provides a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary survey of basic principles, research techniques, and outcomes with the goals of eventual clinical translation.

Reflecting profound advances in the application of nanotechnology to radiation oncology, this comprehensive volume demonstrates how the unique physicochemical properties of nanoparticles lead to novel strategies for cancer treatment and detection. Along with various computational and experimental techniques, each chapter highlights the most promising approaches to the use of nanoparticles for radiation response modulation.