Drug Delivery Systems in Cancer Therapy

Leading experts survey the currently available technologies designed to improve the delivery of today's cancer chemotherapeutic agents. The authors review both the theoretical and practical considerations governing conventional and nonconventional methods of drug administration, and identify promising opportunities for product development. In their outline and discussion of the use of novel formulation technologies-including synthetic polymers and biomaterials for prolonged or sustained drug release to achieve potentially greater therapeutic effect-they profile those technologies that have resulted in a number of approved and late-stage clinical products.

I: Pharmacological Considerations for Drug Delivery Systems in Cancer Medicine.- 1 Systemically Administered Drugs.- 2 Regional Administration of Antineoplastic Drugs.- 3 Theoretical Analyses and Simulations of Anticancer Drug Delivery.- II: Technologies Available for Use in Cancer Drug Delivery Systems.- 4 Biopolymers for Parenteral Drug Delivery in Cancer Treatment.- 5 Hydrogels in Cancer Drug Delivery Systems.- 6 Microparticle Drug Delivery Systems.- 7 Polyethylene Glycol Conjugation of Protein and Small Molecule Drugs: Past, Present, and Future.- 8 Emulsions As Anticancer Delivery Systems.- III: Current Applications: Products Approved or in Advanced Clinical Development.- 9 Liposomal Drug Delivery Systems for Cancer Therapy.- 10 Gliadel®: A New Method for the Treatment of Malignant Brain Tumors.- 11 Intralesional Chemotherapy with Injectable Collagen Gel Formulations.- 12 Sustained-Release Drug Delivery with DepoFoam.- 13 Cancer Vaccines.- IV: Future Directions: Novel Cancer Drug Targets and Delivery Systems.- 14 Gene Therapy of Cancer.- 15 Progress in Antisense Technology.- 16 Tumor Vaccines.- 17 Diagnosis and Treatment of Human Disease Using Telomerase As a Novel Target.