Theranostics for oncological therapy: results from worldwide research and the paths of development

Abstract

Theranostics is a field of medicine with the aim to establish tools for a specific targeted therapy based on early diagnosis of diseases. This effect is primarily due to targeted delivery of the therapeutic agent to the target cells. The development of a clinically effective theranostic drug will be the greatest medical breakthrough. This paper presents an analytical mini-review of some modern approaches to find a solution to the core of the problems of theranostics for oncological therapy and discusses recent studies on the use of radiopharmaceuticals, that can be diagnostic and therapeutic, and systems for visualization of radiopharmaceuticals by means of magnetic resonance imaging for therapy of cancerous tumors. Information is given on application of various systems using fluorescent agents such as anti-Stokes fluorophores, the signal from which is well observed, compared to other fluorescent substances, on a background of the reflected irradiance from tissues surrounding cancer cells. This paper also presents details on the comparative use of classical chemotherapeutic agents and promising drugs developed on the basis of natural substances, for example, sulforaphane and cytochrome c, that have lower toxicity.