Recent advances in electrospun nanofiber-mediated drug delivery strategies for localized cancer chemotherapy.

Abstract

Nanotechnology empowered localized cancer chemotherapy has indicated a promising performance for targeting and controlled release of anticancer agents over a period of time to eliminate local-regional recurrence of cancers and also to improve the tissue regeneration during/after treatment. Electrospun nanofiber-based implantable drug-delivery systems have been established as one of the most effective approaches for localized cancer treatment, allowing the on-site delivery of anticancer agents and reducing systemic toxicities and side effects to normal cells. The present review aimed to summarize the latest cutting-edge research on applications of electrospun-based systems for local chemotherapy. Meantime, in vitro and in vivo studies conducted using various anticancer agents along with the capability of electrospun nanofibers for combinatorial/synergistic chemotherapy as well as existing challenges and the potential dramatic advances in applying this pioneering approach for clinical transition in localized treatments of cancer is also discussed.