Intratumoral Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy
Summary
Intratumoral drug delivery systems are engineered platforms designed to deposit therapeutic agents directly within tumour masses. By circumventing systemic circulation, these approaches achieve markedly elevated local drug concentrations, sustained release profiles and reduced off-target toxicity. Current strategies encompass injectable formulations, in situ gelling depots, polymeric implants, microdevices and nanocarrier suspensions. Stimuli-responsive materials harness pH, temperature or enzymatic cues to trigger phase transitions or accelerated drug liberation. Integration with immunomodulatory agents or checkpoint inhibitors has demonstrated synergistic effects through sustained antigen release and enhanced recruitment of cytotoxic lymphocytes. Clinically, such systems offer promising avenues for adjuvant therapy post-resection, management of unresectable lesions and overcoming chemoresistance. Advances in precision medicine seek to tailor matrix composition, degradation kinetics and payload combinations to tumour microenvironment characteristics, thereby maximising therapeutic index and patient quality of life.
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Intratumoral Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in intratumoral drug delivery systems for cancer therapy across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Intratumoral administration: direct delivery of therapeutic agents into a tumour mass to enhance local concentration and reduce systemic exposure.
Sol-gel transition: a stimulus-responsive phase change from liquid sol to gel state, forming a drug depot in situ.
Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA): a biodegradable copolymer used in implants and nanoparticles for controlled drug release.
Immunogenic cell death (ICD): a form of cell demise that provokes dendritic cell activation and T cell responses through antigen release.
Nanocarrier: a nanoscale vehicle, such as polymeric nanoparticles or micelles, engineered for targeted drug delivery and controlled release.
References
- Implantation of In Situ Gelling Systems for the Delivery of Chemotherapeutic Agents. Gels (2024).
- Pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of PLGA-based doxorubicin-loaded implants for tumor therapy. Drug Delivery (2022).
- Sustained and Long-Term Release of Doxorubicin from PLGA Nanoparticles for Eliciting Anti-Tumor Immune Responses. Pharmaceutics (2022).
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