3D Printing in Drug Delivery; Future of Cancer Therapy

Numerous advances have been made in the treatment of cancer, but there have also been a number of drawbacks as a result of the drugs’ inability to reach the affected organs with sufficient precision. As a result, cancer is still listed as the leading cause of fatalities, meanwhile, the treatment itself has many side effects. In cancer therapy, tumor diverseness and inter-patient’s diffrences are seen to be the major issue during the course of therapy, consequently, each patient reacts differently to medication regimens. Dose modifications are usually based on empirical techniques, increasing the likelihood of unfavorable side effects and traditional methods of drug formulation does not allow for customing the dose to specific patient so as to keep costs down, which leaves a glaring unmet need. As a result, improved drug delivery system and a deeper scientific understanding of how pharmaceutical administration affects safety and efficacy are required.

Three-dimensional printing (3DP) has recently been regarded as the most groundbreaking and promising technology in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industry. The technology mentioned above focuses on novel approaches in the design of solid dosage forms for personalized therapy, transdermal medication, and biomedical applications of additive manufacturing techniques such as implants, surgical models, bio-printed materials, and bio-robotics, among other things. Because of its multiple intrinsic benefits over traditional delivery systems, 3DP technology has received increased attention in recent years in novel drug delivery approaches. As a result, this review’s objective is to provide a thorough overview of the potential and actual applications of 3D printing in cancer chemotherapy drug delivery.