Following substitution of FITC with a tracer for in vivo diagnostics, such theranostic or even quadrugnostic nanovehicle platforms may be further studied in vivo for selective targeting of tumors and their distant metastases overexpressing CD44, for diagnostic localization purposes, and for targeted therapy of cancers, e.g., ovarian cancer and other malignancies, including those that frequently display chemoresistance. This evidence concerns the gene CD44 and cancer.