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Updated: Aug 22, 2025

Spatial Measurements of Perfusion, Interstitial Fluid Pressure and Liposomes Accumulation in Solid Tumors
Published on: August 18, 2016
The tumor EPR effect for cancer drug delivery: Current status, limitations, and alternatives
Rui Sun1, Jiajia Xiang2, Quan Zhou3
1Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Smart Biomaterials and Key Laboratory of Biomass Chemical Engineering of Ministry of Education, College of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
Abstract:
Over the past three decades, the enhanced permeability and retention (EPR) effect has been considered the basis of tumor-targeted drug delivery. Various cancer nanomedicines, including macromolecular drugs, have been designed to utilize this mechanism for preferential extravasation and accumulation in solid tumors. However, such nanomedicines have not yet achieved convincing therapeutic benefits in clinics. Increasing evidence suggests that the EPR effect is over-represented in human tumors, especially in metastatic tumors. This review covers the evolution of the concept, the heterogeneity and limitation of the EPR effect in clinical realities, and prospects for alternative strategies independent of the EPR effect.
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