ABSTRACT
Fluid mechanics is a major contributing factor to the growth, progression, metastasis, and treatment of cancer. Oxygen and nutrients transport to cancerous tissues is mediated by the blood vessels that provide a route for metastasizing cancer cells to distant organs and deliver drugs to tumors. Nanoparticles can serve as nanoagents in imaging of tumors and improve the specificity and sensitivity of magnetic resonance imaging. This chapter discusses more about the function of nanoparticles in early detection of diseases and as therapeutics agents, carriers of chemotherapeutical drugs to assist the accurate delivery of drugs, targeting tumors and photothermal therapy of tumors. The tumor microenvironment consists of the surrounding tissue, extracellular matrix (ECM), with abundant soluble growth factors. Fibroblast cells, key constituents of the tumor microenvironment, release the ECM molecules that compose the tumor stroma. Drugs released outside can enter tumor cells either through active transport mechanisms or via receptor-mediated endocytosis.
