Recent Advances in Electrospun Nanofiber-Based Implantable Drug Delivery Systems for Breast Cancer Therapy

Abstract

Breast cancer (BC) remains the most prevalent malignant tumor among women worldwide. While surgical resection currently serves as one of the primary treatment modalities for BC, traditional surgical approaches face challenges including local recurrence, suboptimal prognosis, and systemic side effects of drug administration. Researchers have recently developed implantable drug delivery systems (IDDS) based on electrospun nanofibers for postoperative BC treatment. These electrospun nanofibers exhibit high porosity and specific surface area, which not only enhance contact area with cancer cells but also enable sustained and controlled drug release at targeted sites. This article provides a concise overview of current BC treatment strategies and electrospinning technology, while systematically reviewing recent studies on electrospun nanofiber-based IDDS for BC therapy. The classification is presented from two perspectives: categorization based on the source of loaded drugs (natural compounds,chemotherapeutic agents, etc.) and classification according to the stimuli type of smart-responsive IDDS (pH-, magnetic-, light-, or electric-triggered systems). Finally, the paper discusses existing challenges in electrospun nanofiber IDDS for BC treatment and proposes future development directions from multiple aspects, including material optimization, intelligent control systems, and clinical translation considerations.