Table 3.

Advantages and disadvantages of 3D-bioprinted cancer models compared to other models.

Models	Advantages	Disadvantages	References
2D culture	Good reproducibility Low cost Easy to culture	Lack of cell–cell and cell–extracellular interaction Fails to mimic in vivo tumour microenvironment Loss of various phenotypes	[62,63]
Animal (mouse) model	Short lifespan Less genetic variations Plenty of genetic information	Expensive Homozygosity Unreliable predictions for drug safety and efficacy Different responses to certain gene expression Different organ systems Ethical issues	[21,66]
3D cell culture model	Presence of cell–cell and cell–extracellular interactions Mimics in vivo tumour microenvironment Various phenotypes are maintained In vivo gene expressions are maintained	Long culture time Can have bad reproducibility More expensive than 2D cultures	[63]
3D bio-printed cell model	Low cost Able to fabricate complex structures Presence of cell–cell and cell–extracellular interactions Better in mimicking in vivo tumour microenvironment	Limited choice of materials is important depending on type of 3D printer Low resolution for certain types of 3D printer Low printing speed	[63,67]