Abstract

Polymers are extensively used in medicine as components of several biomedical devices, as implants for restoring functions of tissues, and as delivery agents of therapeutics. Recent advances in the ability to tailor mechanical properties, degradation behavior, and the bioactivities of polymers have greatly benefitted research advances in the biomedical engineering field, resulting in many publications. The long time needed for federal approvals of the devices and the inherent series of biological in vivo experiments that are required prior to clinical trials, have greatly limited the use of polymers for drug delivery in devices or technologies investigated under clinical trials for cancer therapeutics. This brief review elucidates the clinical trials worldwide that utilize polymers for therapeutics for various cancers.

Keywords:Cancer therapeutics; Polymer drug delivery; Degradable polymers; Clinical trials