Metal nanoparticles: a theranostic nanotool against cancer.

Cancer remains one of the most deadly diseases worldwide, but conventional anticancer therapies come with several drawbacks. Therefore, there is a need to develop new anticancer strategies. Theranostics is a strategy that combines treatment with diagnosis and monitoring. Metal nanoparticles are proposed as one of the most promising theranostic agents for the treatment of cancer. Thus, metals including iron, gold (Au), silver (Ag), zinc (Zn), and titanium, have potential as anticancer agents, either inherently or as a result of surface modifications. As a functional component of theranostic tools, metal nanoparticles have crucial dual roles as a diagnostic and active therapeutic agent for the treatment of cancer.