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Overview
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.
Editorials
From The Critics
Reviewer: Bruce F. Kimler, PhD(University of Kansas Medical Center)Description: This book deals with the relatively recent efforts to go beyond systemic delivery of anticancer agents on the premise that increasing drug concentrations in the tumor and/or decreasing circulating levels of drug will lead to improved therapeutic outcome. Following a useful three chapters that provide the background and rationale for historical (systemic) and novel (regional and directed) administration of antineoplastic drugs, there are nine chapters dealing with various approaches and/or specific examples of drug delivery in cancer therapy.
Purpose: The purpose is to provide a general overview of the drug delivery technologies available for research oncologists looking to improve the potential utility of their novel lead candidates. In this regard it succeeds admirably, with an equal focus on the technologies themselves as well as the end result of improving therapeutic benefits for management of malignant disease.
Audience: This will be a useful guide for both experts in the field as well as individuals who wish to gain a broad familiarity with the opportunities offered by recent advances in drug delivery concepts. In particular, the in-depth discussion of cancer treatment (both in animal tumor models as well as in clinical trials) provided in several chapters should be quite useful to the chemist or drug designer who is not well-versed in oncologic drug development and use. The editor has devoted the majority of his career to the field of drug delivery and is well-suited for the task of compiling this collection of articles.
Features: The main portion of the book deals with various approaches to drug delivery that are in development or in clinical practice. These chapters address both the chemical aspects of the carriers used as well as the model systems that can be used to evaluate them. In places, the chapters tend to become encyclopedic rather than dealing with generalities. However, this comprehensive approach works well given the fledgling state of development for many of the technologies being applied to cancer drug delivery. It is not clear why the editor chose to include the last five chapters dealing with gene therapy, antisense technology, cancer and tumor vaccines, and targeting telomerase, especially since there is no attempt to couple these new therapeutic approaches with the concerns of agent delivery that are the main focus of the book. These chapters could have been omitted without detracting from the value of the book.
Assessment: In general, this book should serve as a valuable resource to anyone interested in the field of drug delivery systems in cancer therapy. It would be particularly useful to individuals developing novel agents that might benefit from selective packaging and delivery approaches.
3 Stars from Doody