Drug delivery systems for cancer drugs

Author： Martini Alessandro Ciocca Cristina

ISSN： 1354-3776

Source： Expert Opinion on Therapeutic Patents, Vol.13, Iss.12, 2003-12, pp. : 1801-1807

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Abstract

Drug delivery systems can offer significant advantages in cancer therapy. They not only allow the delivery of active drug substances that are difficult to formulate (overcoming inherent shortcomings of both biologicals and sparingly water-soluble active drugs) but also decrease the inherent toxicity of most agents, increasing their efficacy (by modulation of the release kinetic from the formulation and of the residence time in the body) and specifically localising the therapy to the site of action. Due to the vast number of feasible approaches and the scrutiny they are under to achieve the abovementioned targets, it is obvious that this review cannot be exhaustive but instead will concentrate on highlighting recent progress in areas where the authors have seen growing interest for oncology applications. The main topics discussed will be oral delivery (with particular regard to advantages in modulating transporter inhibitors), loco-regional therapies (where the major focus will be on lung cancer therapy), colloidal delivery systems (liposomes and second generation lipid formulations) and biodegradable implants.