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Combination Therapy / Head and Neck Cancer / Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma · Journal article
International Journal of Pharmaceutics: X · August 26, 2026
A consensus or society position rather than new primary data.
This is a narrative review summarizing biomaterial-based drug delivery platforms (hydrogels, nanoparticles, liposomes, microneedles, implants) for head and neck cancer treatment, with emphasis on local delivery and combination therapy. The authors identify the clinical rationale—poor systemic drug delivery, anatomical constraints, and toxicity—and position biomaterials as a promising but still-developing approach, while acknowledging practical barriers to translation including tumor heterogeneity, dosing reproducibility, and manufacturability.
Narrative review. Literature on biomaterial-based drug delivery for head and neck cancer.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) account for approximately 90% of all head and neck cancer cases Advanced-stage HNC carries a 5-year survival rate around 50–60% despite advances in surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies Systemic administration of therapeutic agents results in insufficient drug accumulation at the tumor site due to rapid clearance, poor vascularization, and biological barriers
Review does not report clinical trial outcomes, efficacy data, or safety profiles for specific biomaterial interventions in human subjects Biomaterial platforms (hydrogels, nanoparticles, liposomes, microneedles, implants) enable localized sustained drug release to reduce systemic exposure and toxicity
This review provides clinicians and researchers with a framework for understanding how biomaterial-based local delivery systems could address unmet needs in HNC treatment—reducing systemic toxicity, improving drug concentration at tumor sites, and enabling complex combination therapies. However, the authors note these approaches remain investigational and face significant translational barriers.
A comprehensive review synthesizing current knowledge on biomaterial-based drug delivery for head and neck cancer, identifying clinical challenges and therapeutic opportunities without presenting original experimental data or clinical trial results.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
This review provides clinicians and researchers with a framework for understanding how biomaterial-based local delivery systems could address unmet needs in HNC treatment—reducing systemic toxicity, improving drug concentration at tumor sites, and enabling complex combination therapies. However, the authors note these approaches remain investigational and face significant translational barriers.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Head and neck cancer, particularly head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, remains difficult to treat because of local recurrence, treatment-related morbidity, and the limited efficacy of systemic drug delivery. Biomaterial-based delivery systems have emerged as useful tools to improve local drug retention, control release kinetics, and support combination treatment. Hydrogels, nanoparticles, liposomes, microneedles, and implantable systems have been explored for the delivery of chemotherapeutic agents, radiosensitizers, immunotherapeutics, and nucleic acids in head and neck cancer. This review summarizes recent progress in biomaterial-based drug delivery strategies, with a focus on local delivery and combination therapy. We discuss the major biomaterial platforms, their therapeutic applications, and the practical challenges that affect clinical translation, including tumor heterogeneity, dosing reproducibility, biocompatibility, and manufacturability. Overall, biomaterials represent a promising but still developing approach for improving treatment delivery and multimodal therapy in head and neck cancer.
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