title: Challenges and opportunities in the delivery of cancer therapeutics.
abstract: The idea that cancer is not one but many diseases has completely changed the oncology landscape and promoted the development of personalized cancer therapy. Based on a better understanding of the mechanisms of cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth, novel therapies have emerged to address unmet medical needs and effectively treat pre-identified, responsive patients. These novel therapies require specific drug-delivery strategies that depend on the type and location of cancer, as well as the type of drugs administered, that is, a small molecule, a peptide, a therapeutic protein or a monoclonal antibody. Systemic cancer drugs are administered through three major routes that show different challenges with regard to delivery: these are oral administration, intravenous infusion and subcutaneous injection. This review presents and discusses the challenges and opportunities of the drug-delivery systems for each of these administration routes. It will be shown that, for the good of the patients, every time a drug-delivery system is used to administer anticancer drugs, the patients get a major benefit from that specific system: either improved efficacy, a better tolerability and toxicity profile, or even a combination of both effects.
authors: Ipsen, 20 Rue Ethé Virton, 28109 Dreux, France. joel.richard@ipsen.com
authors: Joel
authors: J
authors: Richard
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002626:Chemistry, Pharmaceutical; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D006801:Humans; D007262:Infusions, Intravenous; D010455:Peptides / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011506:Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010455:Peptides; D011506:Proteins