Microneedles as an effective and minimally invasive delivery strategy for oral cancer treatment

Abstract

Oral cancer ranks among the top sixteen most prevalent cancers worldwide, with its onset strongly associated with risk factors such as viral infections, tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and prolonged exposure to physical and chemical stimuli. Conventional therapeutic modalities, like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, often cause severe side effects and systemic toxicity, significantly compromising patients’ quality of life. Microneedle technology has recently emerged as a promising minimally invasive platform for transdermal and transmucosal drug delivery. Microneedles facilitate the localized and controlled administration of therapeutic agents by creating microscopic pores that enhance mucosal drug permeation and retention. The versatility of microneedle systems via customizable design, material selection, and drug-release kinetics enables their adaptation for personalized and multimodal oral cancer management. This review discusses the emerging applications of microneedle-based platforms in oral cancer therapy and diagnosis, highlighting current progress, challenges, and future perspectives toward clinical translation.