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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
Systemic and Local Drug Delivery for Treating Diseases of the Central Nervous System in Rodent Models
Published on: August 16, 2010
Does local drug delivery still hold therapeutic promise for brain cancer? A systematic review
C Bastiancich1, E Bozzato2, I Henley3
1Aix-Marseille Univ, CNRS, INP, Inst Neurophysiopathol, Marseille, France.
Background:
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and aggressive primary brain tumor in adults. Despite the gold standard treatment combining surgical resection, radiation and adjuvant plus concomitant chemotherapy with the alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ), the prognosis remains poor (5-year survival rate < 10%). Over the last three decades, a vast array of drug delivery systems (DDS) have been developed for the local treatment of GBM, with the majority of the characterization being undertaken in pre-clinical models. We aimed to gain an overview of the potential efficacy of such local delivery systems in comparison to the systemic drug administration.
Methods:
In this paper, a systematic search of Pubmed, Web of Science, and Scopus was performed using pre-determined search terms. Studies were assessed for eligibility based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of fifteen publications were included for analysis of local vs systemic group median survival, tumor volume and adverse events, with five brought forward for a meta-analysis.
Results:
The majority of studies showed local delivery to be more efficacious than systemic administration, regardless of the drug, animal model, type of DDS used, or duration of the study. The meta-analysis also showed that the mean difference between median survival ratios was statistically significantly in favor of local delivery.
Conclusion:
Preclinical evidence shows that there is a firm rationale for further developing DDS for local therapeutic delivery to GBM and other brain cancers.
Insights
Local drug delivery systems (DDS) show greater efficacy than systemic administration for treating glioblastoma (GBM) brain tumors. This preclinical evidence supports further development of DDS for brain cancer therapy.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Nanotechnology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Glioblastoma (GBM) is an aggressive primary brain tumor with poor prognosis despite standard treatment.
- Current treatments include surgery, radiation, and temozolomide (TMZ) chemotherapy.
- Drug delivery systems (DDS) have been explored for local GBM treatment, primarily in preclinical models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the efficacy of local drug delivery systems versus systemic administration for glioblastoma treatment.
- To provide an overview of potential therapeutic benefits based on preclinical data.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature search was conducted on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus.
- Fifteen publications were included for analysis of survival, tumor volume, and adverse events.
- A meta-analysis was performed on five selected studies.
Main Results:
- The majority of studies indicated superior efficacy of local delivery compared to systemic administration.
- This finding held true regardless of the drug, animal model, DDS type, or study duration.
- Meta-analysis confirmed a statistically significant improvement in median survival ratios favoring local delivery.
Conclusions:
- Preclinical data strongly support the development of drug delivery systems for local therapy in glioblastoma and other brain cancers.
- Local DDS represent a promising strategy to improve treatment outcomes for brain tumors.
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