Development of a new tissue scaffold for locoregional chemotherapy

Cancer is a type of disease that occurs as a result of uncontrolled proliferation of cells with abnormal gene mutations. In the treatment of cancer, methods such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are used. Surgery is one of the most frequently used methods for solid tumors. Although successful results are obtained in benign tumors with surgical treatment, recurrence is usually observed in malignant tumors after treatment. For this reason, adjuvant chemotherapeutics continue to be applied after treatment against recurrence. However, many limitations such as high drug toxicities, multi-drug resistances, and long-term treatment regimens result in failure of clinical oncotherapy. For this reason, there is a need for targeted local drug delivery systems in the clinic. Smart drug systems offer several advantages in terms of managing the controlled release mechanisms of biomaterials in the target tissue. Within the scope of the thesis, the efficacy of DOX loaded OEGMEMA and PLGA/OEGMEMA scaffolds was determined by in-vitro tests in order to prevent recurrence. The results confirmed that both scaffolds with their drug release profiles could be a potential implantable drug delivery system for different types of cancer.