Advances of multifunctional hydrogel-based therapy system for postoperative treatment of tumor

Surgical resection is presently the primary treatment method for solid tumors due to its capability to eliminate tumor tissue to the maximum extent and decrease the malignant proliferation rate of tumor cells. While some patients may benefit from the procedure, a significant number of patients are vulnerable to complications such as postoperative inflammatory toxicity, malformed tissue repair, tumor recurrence, and metastasis. As compared to systematic drug delivery, local treatments may enhance drug concentration in the operative site and manifest the corresponding therapeutic function. Therefore, the application of local drug delivery can mitigate the severe side effects caused by surgical resection of tumors. In the field of local drug delivery, hydrogels have displayed excellent performance and made significant strides in the treatment of surgical wound-related diseases. Based on varying application purposes and methods, hydrogels can be categorized into several types, such as implantable hydrogels, injectable hydrogels, stimulus-responsive hydrogels, temperature-sensitive hydrogels, and others. This paper provides an overview of the application of different hydrogels in the treatment of tumors post-surgery and elaborates on their advantages and disadvantages as adjuvant treatments for tumors. Moreover, the potential optimal design of hydrogels is discussed, and their deep application in clinical tumor therapy is prospected.