ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews on the development of drug-loaded particles for intraperitoneal (IP) therapy. IP therapy delivers high drug concentrations to tumors located in the peritoneal cavity. Multiple studies have shown significant targeting advantage for IP therapy in cancer patients with peritoneal metastasis, with ratios of peritoneal cavity-to-systemic blood concentration–time product ranging from 12 for cisplatin to 1000 for paclitaxel. The versatility of particulate drug delivery systems offers an opportunity to address the unmet need of IP therapeutics. Most of the investigations of drug-loaded particles for IP therapy have used lipid and polymeric carriers. The lipid-based carrier, liposomes, is among the most studied in IP therapy. The tissue distribution, peritoneal retention, and lymph node accumulation of nanoparticles IP administration is similar to that of liposomes in comparable sizes. IP distribution of polymeric microparticles is similar to the distribution of tumor cells with localization on the omentum and mesenteries, whereas larger microparticles primarily localized in the lower abdomen.
