Recent Progress in Cancer Thermal Therapy Using Gold Nanoparticles

In recent years, there has been a great deal of interest in the preparation and application of nanoparticles for cancer therapy. Gold nanoparticles are especially suited to thermal destruction of cancer due to their ease of surface functionalization and photothermal heating ability. Here, we review recent progress in gold nanoparticle-mediated thermal cancer therapies. We begin with an introduction to the properties of gold nanoparticles and heat-generating mechanisms which have been established. The pioneering work in photothermal therapy is discussed along with the effects of photothermal heating on cells in vitro. Additionally, radiofrequency-mediated thermal therapy is reviewed. We focus our discussion on the developments and progress in nanoparticle design for photothermal cancer therapy since 2010. This includes in vitro and in vivo studies and the recent progression of gold nanoparticle photothermal therapy toward clinical cancer treatment.