Injectable Smart Hydrogels for Local Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Cancer remains a public burden that requires the combined efforts of researchers, pharmaceutical industries, governments, and stakeholders to be defeated. Among the different strategies that have been developed, the use of hydrogels as depot systems for local delivery of therapeutic compounds is emerging as a promising approach for effective cancer treatment. Being used as a monotherapy or in combination with systemic approaches, hydrogel-based local cancer treatment may improve the therapeutic outcomes of patients, related not only to the increase in the treatment effectiveness and reduction of the side effects but also to the improvement in the patient’s quality of life associated with the sustained delivery of drugs that require a lower number of administrations. The use of hydrogel-based approaches for local cancer treatment is an active area of research, being expected an exponential increase in their translation into clinical practice in the near future. This chapter will summarize the most important aspects related to the different types of hydrogels for the local delivery of anticancer drugs. Moreover, the most promising research studies published in the last 5 years, as well as the hydrogel-based formulations under clinical trials or in clinical practice in the field of local cancer treatment, will be presented.