Hydrogel-Based intraperitoneal drug delivery platforms for peritoneal metastasis: strategies, advances, and prospects

Peritoneal metastasis (PM), as a terminal stage of malignant tumors with extremely poor prognosis, remains a clinical challenge. Intraperitoneal (IP) administration enhances local drug concentrations, improving survival outcomes for PM patients. However, rapid drug clearance and uneven distribution limit its therapeutic potential. In recent years, hydrogel-based drug delivery systems have garnered attention due to their excellent biocompatibility, drug loading capacity, and controlled release properties. The use of hydrogel-loaded drugs via IP injection can significantly improve anti-cancer efficacy by increasing the local drug concentration, prolonging the retention time of the drug in the peritoneal cavity, and decreasing systemic toxicity. This review summarizes the pathogenesis and current treatment strategies of PM, emphasizing various drugs (including chemotherapy agents, immunotherapeutics, targeted drugs, radioactive isotopes, and herbal medicines) delivered via hydrogel-based IP administration. Furthermore, it highlights the potential of nanoparticles and microparticle-hydrogel composites to further improve drug delivery, offering new strategies for PM treatment and theoretical basis for clinical rational drug use.