Multifunctional superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles: Promising tools in cancer theranostics

• Iron oxide nanoparticles are excellent tools in cancer diagnosis and therapeutics.
• SPIONs enhance contrast in magnetic resonance imaging to detect cancer cells.
• SPIONs have multifunctional ability in tumor targeting and drug delivery.
• SPIONs can be surface engineered to bind with various tumor specific receptors.
• Due to strong magnetic properties, SPIONs are widely used in magnetic hyperthermia.

Iron-oxide nanoparticles of small dimensions that have superparamagnetic properties show immense potential to revolutionize the future of cancer theranostics, the combinatorial diagnosis and therapeutic approach towards cancer. Superparamagnetic iron-oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) have unique magnetic properties, due to which they show excellent tumor-targeting efficiency, and this paves the way for effective personalized cancer treatment. The aim of this review is to focus on the ability of SPIONs to perform multiple roles in the field of cancer biology, such as in diagnosis, monitoring, targeting and therapy. Also, other topics are discussed, including the synthesis of SPIONs, the challenges and recent advances.