Clinical pharmacology of anticancer agents in relation to formulations andadministration routes

In the past years, alternative administration routes and pharmaceutical for mulations of anticancer agents have been investigated in order to improve c onventional chemotherapy treatment. The impact of these adjustments on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics is discussed. A review of the literat ure shows many examples of alternative administration forms of anticancer a gents with improved pharmacokinetics. Local administration routes have been investigated in order to reduce the systemic toxicity and to enhance the l ocal efficacy of conventional chemotherapy. Oral administration of anticanc er agents is preferred by patients for its convenience and its potential fo r outpatient treatment. In addition, oral administration facilitates a prol onged exposure to the cytotoxic agent. However; poor bioavailability and su bstantial interpatient variability are noted as limitations for oral chemot herapy. Increased tumour selectivity can also be achieved by the use of spe cific pharmaceutical formulations, such as liposomes and macromolecular dru g conjugates. The composition of these formulations often determine the pha rmacokinetic behaviour of the formulated drug. In conclusion, several alter native administration forms of anticancer agents have been designed in the past years, with the potential for improvement of conventional chemotherapy , however; more extensive clinical evaluation of these novel strategies is warranted to prove their real clinical value.