  Electrospinning is historically related to tissue engineering due to its
ability to produce nano-/microscale fibrous materials with mechanical and
functional properties that are extremely similar to those of the extracellular
matrix of living tissues. The general interest in electrospun fibrous matrices
has recently expanded to cancer research both as scaffolds for in vitro cancer
modelling and as patches for in vivo therapeutic delivery. In this review, we
examine electrospinning by providing a brief description of the process and
overview of most materials used in this process, discussing the effect of
changing the process parameters on fiber conformations and assemblies. Then, we
describe two different applications of electrospinning in service of cancer
research: firstly, as three-dimensional (3D) fibrous materials for generating
in vitro pre-clinical cancer models; and secondly, as patches encapsulating
anticancer agents for in vivo delivery.
