Thyroid cancer, as one of the most common endocrine cancers, has seen a surge in incidence in recent years. This is most likely due to the lack of specificity and accuracy of its traditional diagnostic modalities, leading to the overdiagnosis of thyroid nodules. Although there are several treatment options available, they are limited to surgery and 131I radiation therapy that come with significant side effects and hence cannot meet the treatment needs of anaplastic thyroid carcinoma with very high malignancy. Optical imaging that utilizes optical absorption, refraction and scattering properties, not only observes the structure and function of cells, tissues, organs, or even the whole organism to assist in diagnosis, but can also be used to perform optical therapy to achieve targeted non-invasive and precise treatment of thyroid cancer. These applications of screening, diagnosis, and treatment, lend to optical imaging's promising potential within the realm of thyroid cancer surgical navigation. Over the past decade, research on optical imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer has been growing year by year, but no comprehensive review on this topic has been published. Here, we review key advances in the application of optical imaging in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer and discuss the challenges and potential for clinical translation of this technology.
Keywords: 131I-BSA@CuS, 131I-labeled BSA-modified CuS nanoparticles; 5-ALA, 5-Aminolevulinic acid; ASIR, age-standardized rates of cancer incidence; ATC, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma; Au@MSNs, photo-triggered Gold nanodots capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles; AuNCs@BSA-I, innovative iodinated gold nanoclusters; BRAF, V-Raf murine sarcoma viral oncogene homolog B; CBDCA, Carboplatin; CDFI, color doppler flow imaging ultrasound; CLND, central compartmentalized node dissection; CPDA-131I NPs, the 131I-radiolabeled cerebroid polydopamine nano-particles; CT, Computed Tomography; DOT, Diffuse Optical Tomography; DTC, differentiated thyroid cancer; ECDT, enhanced chemodynamical therapy; EGF, epidermal growth factor; EGFR, epidermal growth factor receptor; ESMO, European Society of Medical Oncology; FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration; FI, fluorescence imaging; FNAB, fine-needle aspiration biopsy; FNAs, fine needle aspirations; FTC, follicular thyroid carcinoma; GC, germinal center; HAOA, Hyaluronic Acid and Oleic Acid; HYP, hypericin; ICG, indocyanine green; IJV, internal jugular vein; IR825@B-PPNs, Polymeric NPs with bevacizumab and IR825 conjugated on the surface; L-A PTA, laparoscopic photothermal ablation; MDR, multidrug resistance; MTC, medullary thyroid carcinoma; Multimodal therapy; NIR, near-infrared; NIR-FI, near-infrared fluorescence imaging; NIR-PIT, near-infrared photoimmunotherapy; NIRF, near-infrared fluorescence; NMRI, Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Imaging; OCT, Optical Coherence Tomography; OI, optical imaging; OS, overall survival; Optical imaging; Optical imaging-guided surgery; PAI, Photoacoustic Imaging; PDT, photodynamic therapy; PET, Positron Emission Tomography; PGs, parathyroid glands; PLP, porphyrin-HDL nanoparticle; PTA, photothermal reagents; PTC, papillary thyroid carcinoma; PTT, photothermal therapy; Pd-MOF, porphyrin–palladium metal–organic framework; Phototherapy; RIT, radioactive iodine therapy; ROS, reactive oxygen species; SEC, Selenocysteine; SV, subclavian vein; SiRNA, interfering RNA; TC, thyroid cancer; TD, Thoracic Duct; TF, tissue factor; Thyroid cancer; mETE, microscopic extrathyroidal extension.
© 2022 The Authors.