Pancreatic Cancer Therapy Review: From Classic Therapeutic Agents to Modern Nanotechnologies

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most lethal cancers worldwide, with an extremely poor prognosis. This cancer is considered the 5th leading cause of cancer related death. The median survival after diagnosis is generally 2-8 months and five-year survival rate is less than 5%. In recent years, nanotechnology is emerging as a rising approach for drug delivery since it has opened up new landscapes in medicine through introduction of smart nanocarrier systems that can selectively deliver the therapeutic agent in a specific region and in appropriate levels, reducing the adverse side effects. This review covers the main delivery systems developed so far for anticancer drug delivery to the pancreas over a period of 20 years, from polymeric to lipidic-based nanosystems, with a particular emphasis on albumin as core material.