Topical Transdermal Chemoprevention of Breast Cancer: Where Will Nanomedical Approaches Deliver Us?

Abstract

Despite the high incidence of breast cancer, there are few pharmacological prevention strategies for the high-risk population and those that are available have low adherence. Strategies that deliver drugs directly to the breasts may increase drug local concentrations, improving efficacy, safety and acceptance. The skin of the breast has been proposed as an administration route for local transdermal therapy, which may improve drug levels in the mammary tissue, due to both deep local penetration and percutaneous absorption. In this review, we discuss the application of nanotechnology-based strategies for the delivery of well established and new agents as well as drug repurposing using the topical transdermal route to improve the outcomes of preventive therapy for breast cancer.

Keywords::

• breast cancer
• chemoprevention
• nanocarriers
• skin penetration
• topical
• transdermal

Author contributions

AC Apolinário, G Mojeiko, JS Passos: manuscript design and concept, writing (first draft), writing and reviewing (final draft). LB Lopes: supervision, funding acquisition, manuscript design, writing (first draft), writing and reviewing (final draft).

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors acknowledge financial support from São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, grants #2018/13877-1, 2018/14375-0, 2019/00196-9, 2020/01208-8), Brazilian Council for Research (CNPq, grant no. 306866/2020-0) and Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES, finance code 001). This study is part of the National Institute of Science and Technology in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology: a transdisciplinary approach INCT-NANOFARMA, which is supported by FAPESP (grant #2014/50928-2) and CNPq (grant #465687/2014-8). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge financial support from São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP, grants #2018/13877-1, 2018/14375-0, 2019/00196-9, 2020/01208-8), Brazilian Council for Research (CNPq, grant no. 306866/2020-0) and Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education (CAPES, finance code 001). This study is part of the National Institute of Science and Technology in Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology: a transdisciplinary approach INCT-NANOFARMA, which is supported by FAPESP (grant #2014/50928-2) and CNPq (grant #465687/2014-8). The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.