Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Drug Delivery: Parenteral Route

Drug Delivery: Parenteral Route

The parenteral route is a critical method of drug administration. It delivers compounds directly into the systemic circulation and bypasses the gastrointestinal tract. This approach is particularly advantageous for drugs that exhibit poor absorption or instability when administered orally.
There are three primary parenteral routes: intravenous (IV), intramuscular (IM), and subcutaneous (SC). The IV route introduces the drug directly into the bloodstream, ensuring immediate action. The IM route...

Routes of Drug Administration: Parenteral

Routes of Drug Administration: Parenteral

The administration of drugs via parenteral routes allows for direct drug introduction into the systemic circulation, resulting in high bioavailability because the medication bypasses the harsh conditions of the gastrointestinal tract and hepatic metabolism.
The intravenous route (IV) of drug administration can be further categorized into two types. The bolus injection administers the entire dose rapidly, while an intravenous infusion slowly delivers smaller doses steadily.
The IV route is often...

Routes of Drug Administration: Overview

Routes of Drug Administration: Overview

Drug administration involves delivering drugs to the body through various routes, such as enteral, parenteral, and topical.
Enteral administration refers to drugs absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract. They can be swallowed (perorally), placed under the tongue (sublingually), or on the inner lining of the cheeks (buccally). Perorally administered drugs take time to be absorbed and have a slower onset of action. The rectal route is another form of enteral administration, which allows for...

Drug Delivery: Miscellaneous Routes

Drug Delivery: Miscellaneous Routes

Drug delivery methods like oral inhalation, nasal sprays, transdermal patches, eye drops, intravitreal injection, and rectal administration provide localized effects with reduced toxicity.
Oral inhalation and nasal sprays swiftly transfer drugs across the respiratory epithelium's mucosal layer. Inhaled glucocorticoids and bronchodilators directly target lung conditions such as asthma, while fluticasone nasal spray mitigates allergic rhinitis.
Transdermal patches transport drugs...

Tumor Immunotherapy

Tumor Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.

Additional Routes of Drug Administration

Additional Routes of Drug Administration

Choosing the appropriate route of drug administration is significantly influenced by two key factors: the therapeutic objectives and the inherent properties of the drug being used.
Administering drugs via inhalation allows for the direct delivery of gaseous, volatile substances or droplets to different parts of the respiratory tract. One of the advantages of the inhalation route is the rapid absorption of drugs into the circulatory system, which is possible because of the large surface area of...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

[Off-label use of venetoclax in myeloma].

Bulletin du cancer·2026

Same author

The importance and utility of post market drug safety monitoring in cancer therapy.

Expert opinion on drug safety·2025

Same author

Oral anticancer agents as generators of relevant pharmacokinetic interactions: An update.

Bulletin du cancer·2025

Same author

[About therapeutic innovation in oncology].

Bulletin du cancer·2025

Same author

Improving the Dosing Schedules of Targeted Anticancer Agents.

Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland)·2025

Same author

Discrepancy in withdrawn accelerated approvals of anticancer agents in the United States (US) and Europe: Approval does not mean access.

Bulletin du cancer·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 1, 2026

Potentiation of Anticancer Antibody Efficacy by Antineoplastic Drugs: Detection of Antibody-drug Synergism Using the Combination Index Equation

Potentiation of Anticancer Antibody Efficacy by Antineoplastic Drugs: Detection of Antibody-drug Synergism Using the Combination Index Equation

Published on: January 19, 2019

Subcutaneous administration of anticancer agents.

Dominique Leveque¹

¹Department of Pharmacy, Hôpital Hautepierre, avenue Molière, 67 000 Strasbourg, France. dominique.leveque@chru-strasbourg.fr.

Anticancer Research

|April 3, 2014

Summary

Subcutaneous cancer drug delivery offers high bioavailability and rapid absorption, comparable to intravenous routes. This parenteral alternative shows promise for patient convenience and potentially reduced healthcare costs, with some self-administration options available.

Keywords:

Anticancer agent monoclonal antibody pharmacokinetics review subcutaneous administration

More Related Videos

Evaluation of the In vivo Antitumor Activity of Polyanhydride IL-1α Nanoparticles

Evaluation of the In vivo Antitumor Activity of Polyanhydride IL-1α Nanoparticles

Published on: June 28, 2021

Sample Extraction and Simultaneous Chromatographic Quantitation of Doxorubicin and Mitomycin C Following Drug Combination Delivery in Nanoparticles to Tumor-bearing Mice

Sample Extraction and Simultaneous Chromatographic Quantitation of Doxorubicin and Mitomycin C Following Drug Combination Delivery in Nanoparticles to Tumor-bearing Mice

Published on: October 5, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 1, 2026

Potentiation of Anticancer Antibody Efficacy by Antineoplastic Drugs: Detection of Antibody-drug Synergism Using the Combination Index Equation

Potentiation of Anticancer Antibody Efficacy by Antineoplastic Drugs: Detection of Antibody-drug Synergism Using the Combination Index Equation

Published on: January 19, 2019

Evaluation of the In vivo Antitumor Activity of Polyanhydride IL-1α Nanoparticles

Evaluation of the In vivo Antitumor Activity of Polyanhydride IL-1α Nanoparticles

Published on: June 28, 2021

Sample Extraction and Simultaneous Chromatographic Quantitation of Doxorubicin and Mitomycin C Following Drug Combination Delivery in Nanoparticles to Tumor-bearing Mice

Sample Extraction and Simultaneous Chromatographic Quantitation of Doxorubicin and Mitomycin C Following Drug Combination Delivery in Nanoparticles to Tumor-bearing Mice

Published on: October 5, 2017

Area of Science:

Oncology
Pharmacology
Drug Delivery Systems

Background:

Oral anticancer treatments are widely discussed for patient convenience.
Subcutaneous administration as a parenteral alternative has received less attention.
Recent drug approvals indicate a resurgence of interest in subcutaneous cancer therapy.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the potential of subcutaneous administration for anticancer agents.
To compare subcutaneous versus intravenous administration in terms of bioavailability, absorption, elimination, and clinical outcomes.
To explore the practical, economic, and self-administration aspects of subcutaneous cancer drug delivery.

Main Methods:

Review of recent approvals and comparative studies of subcutaneous anticancer agents.
Analysis of pharmacokinetic data (bioavailability, absorption, elimination) for subcutaneous versus intravenous routes.
Evaluation of clinical outcomes, including efficacy and adverse events (e.g., neurotoxicity).

Main Results:

Subcutaneous anticancer drugs demonstrate high bioavailability (>80%) and rapid absorption, with exceptions for monoclonal antibodies.
Subcutaneous administration generally does not alter drug elimination rates compared to intravenous delivery.
Comparative studies show comparable clinical outcomes, with subcutaneous bortezomib demonstrating less peripheral neurotoxicity.
Some subcutaneous formulations allow for patient self-administration, while others require hospitalization.

Conclusions:

Subcutaneous administration is a viable and promising parenteral route for anticancer drugs, offering significant advantages in bioavailability and absorption.
This route can lead to comparable clinical efficacy to intravenous administration, with potential benefits in reduced toxicity and improved patient convenience, including self-administration.
Economic benefits may arise from subcutaneous formulations, particularly for monoclonal antibodies, though competition from biosimilars needs consideration.