Functional roles of magnetic nanoparticles for the identification of metastatic lymph nodes in cancer patients

Staging lymph nodes (LN) is crucial in diagnosing and treating cancer metastasis. Biotechnologies for the specific localization of metastatic lymph nodes (MLNs) have attracted significant attention to efficiently define tumor metastases. Bioimaging modalities, particularly magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) such as iron oxide nanoparticles, have emerged as promising tools in cancer bioimaging, with great potential for use in the preoperative and intraoperative tracking of MLNs. As radiation-free magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probes, MNPs can serve as alternative MRI contrast agents, offering improved accuracy and biological safety for nodal staging in cancer patients. Although MNPs’ application is still in its initial stages, exploring their underlying mechanisms can enhance the sensitivity and multifunctionality of lymph node mapping. This review focuses on the feasibility and current application status of MNPs for imaging metastatic nodules in preclinical and clinical development. Furthermore, exploring novel and promising MNP-based strategies with controllable characteristics could lead to a more precise treatment of metastatic cancer patients.