Nanotechnology Method Comparison for Early Detection of Cancer

Since 1999, cancer has been the leading cause of death under the age of 85 years and the eradication of this disease has been the long sought-after goal of scientists and physicians. Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably. These abnormal cells have the ability to invade and destroy normal body cells, which is life threatening. One of the most important factors in effective cancer treatment is the detection of cancerous tumour cells in an early stage. Nanotechnology brings new hope to the arena of cancer detection research, owing to nanoparticles’ unique physical and chemical properties, giving them the potential to be used in the detection and monitoring of cancer. One such approach is quantum dots based detection which is rapid, easy and economical enabling quick point-of-care screening of cancer markers. QDs have got unique properties which make them ideal for detecting tumours. On the other hand, Gold nanoparticles have been in the bio-imaging spotlight due to their special optical properties. Au-NPs with strong surface-plasmon-enhanced absorption and scattering have allowed them to emerge as powerful imaging labels and contrast agents. This paper includes the comparative study of both the methods. Compared with quantum dots, the gold-nanoparticles are more than 200 times brighter on a particle-to-particle basis, although they are about 60 times larger by volume. Thus, Gold nanoparticles in suspension, offers advantages compared with quantum dots in that the gold appears to be non-toxic and the particles produce a brighter, sharper signal.