Recent progress in diagnostic imaging and therapeutics of osteosarcoma based on multifunctional nanoparticles

Osteosarcoma is one of the most common primary bone malignancies, mainly occurring in children and adolescents. Traditional diagnosis imaging methods for osteosarcoma contain X-ray, computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging, and traditional therapy protocols are surgical resection and chemotherapy. However, these strategies are complicated and separated. These imaging methods, despite their maturity, have drawbacks that prevent them from showing more details. What is more, the prognosis for patients with osteosarcoma remains unsatisfactory due to side effects of chemotherapy, as well as incomplete surgical removal of the tumor. To compensate for the shortcomings of traditional imaging and treatment strategies for osteosarcoma, various types of nanoparticles have been designed and synthesized to selectively target osteosarcoma cells without toxic side effects on healthy organs. At the same time, these nanoparticle-based technologies can integrate the imaging and treatment of osteosarcoma. This review summarizes the application of nanotechnology in the imaging and treatment of osteosarcoma in recent years, and finally discusses the challenges and development prospects, aiming to provide ideas for future research.