Nanotechnology in Radiation Oncology
A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 3 August 2026 | Viewed by 133
Special Issue Editor
Interests: radiation therapy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Radiation therapy (RT) (either external or internal (brachytherapy)) aims to eradicate tumors by delivering the maximum possible dose to cancer cells while sparing healthy tissues. Achieving this balance is a complex task that demands sophisticated tools to address the physical and biological limitations of the treatment.
Nanotechnology has been widely used in cancer therapy and diagnosis. Although much of the research on nanotechnology for oncology is focused on diagnostics and chemotherapy delivery, studies are also being carried out on applying nanotechnology to improve radiation oncology. Beyond this, combining hyperthermia with radiotherapy seems quite promising given the current trend of magnetic heating with nanoparticles.
A major application involves radiosensitizers for high-atomic-number nanomaterials that absorb radiation and increase tumor damage. Furthermore, targeted drug delivery systems improve this process by using nanoparticles that exploit the enhanced permeability and retention effect of surface ligands to concentrate chemotherapeutic agents or radiosensitizers at tumor sites, thereby reducing the impact on healthy tissue. Advanced nano-formulations also address hypoxia, a major cause of treatment resistance, by transporting oxygen or locally producing it or by altering the cellular metabolism to restore tumor sensitivity. Nanotechnology further enhances image-guided radiotherapy (IGRT) by using nanoparticles as contrast agents for computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), thereby enabling real-time visualization and precise targeting. Moreover, new combined therapies are emerging that integrate single nanoplatforms with radiotherapy (external and brachytherapy), immunotherapy, gene silencing, or hyperthermia to more effectively target cancer cells. These various applications demonstrate how nanotechnology enhances radiotherapy, either alone or in combination with hyperthermia, by improving its efficiency in cancer treatment.
In this Special Issue, we aim to achieve the following:
- Highlight the potential of nanotechnology as an advanced tool in overcoming the challenges associated with conventional radiation therapy techniques;
- Compile original research and reviews that describe the synthesis, characterization, functionalization, and therapeutic use of nanoparticles in radiation treatment;
- Emphasize the need to address the obstacles and limitations associated with the application of nanotechnology in cancer radiation therapy or hyperthermia for successful clinical outcomes.
Dr. Kalliopi Platoni
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- external radiation therapy
- brachytherapy
- hyperthermia
- cancer
- nanotechnology
- radiosensitizers
- nanoparticles
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