Injectable hydrogels as drug delivery platform for in-situ treatment of malignant tumor

Cancer treatment is still one of most researched fields in biomedical science. The serious side effects of intravenous chemotherapy have prompted the development of drug carriers for in-situ local administration, which can increase drug concentration at the tumor site, reduce systemic side-effects and improve the therapeutic outcome. Injectable hydrogels have been widely used for local delivery of anti-tumor agents. In this review, we have summarized the stimuli responsive properties, composition and applications of injectable hydrogels in cancer therapy, and discussed the types of therapeutic drugs loaded in hydrogels. In addition to drug carriers, biodegradable hydrogels may have broad application prospects in inhibiting tumor recurrence and metastasis as well.