As a type of carbon dots (CDs) with a positive charge on their surface, cationic carbon dots (CCDs) can be obtained from CDs and amino-containing cationic compounds by one-step or two-step preparation. They not only retain the good fluorescence performance, low toxicity and biocompatibility of CDs, but also improve their gene delivery efficiency and cell uptake capacity. These excellent properties give CCDs potential advantages in the fields of the targeted fluorescence imaging of cancers and gene therapy. This paper reviews the preparation methods and properties of CCDs, suggesting that they can be used as good targeting carriers for imaging cancer and gene therapy. In addition, the basic principles of CCDs for cancer detection and treatment, and their uses in integrated cancer diagnosis and gene therapy are introduced. Current problems and future development trends of CCDs for this purpose are discussed.

作为一种表面带有正电荷的碳点（CD），可以通过一步或两步制备从CD和含氨基的阳离子化合物中获得阳离子碳点（CCD）。它们不仅保留了CD的良好荧光性能，低毒性和生物相容性，而且还提高了它们的基因传递效率和细胞吸收能力。这些优异的性能使CCD在癌症的靶向荧光成像和基因治疗领域具有潜在的优势。本文综述了CCD的制备方法和性质，表明它们可以用作成像癌症和基因治疗的良好靶向载体。此外，介绍了用于癌症检测和治疗的CCD的基本原理，以及它们在综合癌症诊断和基因治疗中的用途。