Current treatment options and drug delivery systems as potential therapeutic agents for ovarian cancer: A review

• The standard-of-care and alternative therapies for ovarian cancer are reviewed.
• Hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy could prolong survival.
• Bevacizumab is an effective addition to both first-line and recurrent treatment.
• Drug delivery systems could enhance ovarian cancer treatment outcome in animals.
• Co-delivery nanoparticles could improve treatment and reduce toxicity.

Ovarian cancer is one of the most common and deadliest gynecologic cancer with about 75% of the patients presenting in advanced stages. The introduction of intraperitoneal chemotherapy in 2006 had led to a 16 month improvement in the overall survival. However, catheter-related complication and the complexity of the procedure had deterred intraperitoneal route as the preferred route of treatment. Other alternative treatments had been developed by incorporating other FDA-approved agents or procedures such as pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLD), hyperthermic intraoperative intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) and the administration of bevacizumab. Various clinical trials were conducted on these alternatives as both the first-line treatment and second- or third-line therapy for the recurrent disease. The outcome of these studies were summarized and discussed. A prospective improvement in the treatment of ovarian cancer could be done through the use of a drug delivery system. Selected promising recent developments in ovarian cancer drug delivery systems using different delivery vehicles, surface modifications, materials and drugs were also reviewed.