ABSTRACT
Lipid-based drug delivery systems have received much attention in cancer therapy because of their acceptable biosafety profi le. Phospholipid micelles that form an essential part of lipidbased formulations signifi cantly improve the physico-chemical characteristics of poorly water-soluble small molecule drugs as well as large molecule polypeptide drugs. Moreover, the ability to target these micelles specifi cally to tumor tissues makes phospholipid micelles a smart choice of carrier for various antineoplastic agents that exhibit delivery challenges. These micelles increase therapeutic effi cacy, improve biodistribution and reduce adverse effects of drugs. They have been shown effective in overcoming drug resistance in multidrug-resistant cancer cells. Phospholipid nanomicelles can also be used to deliver imaging agents that suffer similar limitations to that of poorly watersoluble drugs. Besides, these micelles are relatively stable to dilution and can be easily prepared and lyophilized for long-term storage, thereby paving the path towards easy transition of the
formulation to clinics. As a result, phospholipid micelles have been widely evaluated for diagnosis and treatment of cancer. This chapter deals with the development and preclinical application of phospholipid-based micelles in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer to cure or improve life expectancy and quality of life in patients suffering from cancer.
