Liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin in metastatic breast cancer

Excerpt

Encapsulating chemotherapy agents within liposomes offers the potential for reduced toxicity and improved efficacy. This is due to the preference for liposomes to exit the circulation in tissues where capillary junctions have been disrupted and are not tightly bound, i.e. areas of tumour growth. Cardiac toxicity is a major side effect of doxorubicin, one of the most active chemotherapy agents in the treatment of breast cancer. The aim of this study was to determine whether liposome-encapsulated doxorubicin (LED), combined with cyclophosphamide, reduced doxorubicin cardiotoxicity while maintaining antitumour efficacy in first-line treatment of metastatic breast cancer. …