Injectable Hydrogels for Cancer Therapy over the Last Decade

• Main Authors: Giuseppe Cirillo, Umile Gianfranco Spizzirri, Manuela Curcio, Fiore Pasquale Nicoletta, Francesca Iemma
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-09-01
• Series: Pharmaceutics
• Subjects: injectable hydrogels; drug delivery; anticancer activity; natural polymers; synthetic polymers; stimuli-responsive materials
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4923/11/9/486

The interest in injectable hydrogels for cancer treatment has been significantly growing over the last decade, due to the availability of a wide range of starting polymer structures with tailored features and high chemical versatility. Many research groups are working on the development of highly engineered injectable delivery vehicle systems suitable for combined chemo-and radio-therapy, as well as thermal and photo-thermal ablation, with the aim of finding out effective solutions to overcome the current obstacles of conventional therapeutic protocols. Within this work, we have reviewed and discussed the most recent injectable hydrogel systems, focusing on the structure and properties of the starting polymers, which are mainly classified into natural or synthetic sources. Moreover, mapping the research landscape of the fabrication strategies, the main outcome of each system is discussed in light of possible clinical applications.