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Creators/Authors contains: "Smyth, H."

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  1. Introduction: Skin Cancer is the most common cancer by which people are afflicted. While most forms of skin cancer have high survival rates if they are caught early, both Squamous Cell Carcinoma and Melanoma can metastasize and are very difficult to treat once this happens. Matrix Metallopeptidases (MMPs), Normally involved in cell growth, movement, and death, can become overactive in patients with cancer. While research suggested that MMP inhibitors could be used to treat many forms of cancer, clinical trials in late stage cancer patients showed that this was not the case. While they were not useful in shrinking late stage tumors, they were effective in preventing growth and metastasis of existing tumors. For this reason, they may be especially useful in the treatment of skin cancers as they may prevent metastasis. While MMP inhibitors can be delivered systemically, whether orally, or intravenously, systemic delivery can give rise to severe unwanted off-target side effects. As such, localized delivery is preferable. By incorporating MMP inhibitors into polymer gels, the drug can be administered topically and its distribution within the skin and into the systemic circulation may be controlled. Formulations may therefore be customized to alter the depth which the drug is delivered. 
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