Prostate cancer gene therapy.
Cancer-specific gene therapy is still in its infancy. Although the first gene therapy trials were initiated in the late 1980s, it was only more recently that the first successful treatment of a genetic disease was reported.3 The current problems with low efficiency of gene transfer coupled with the immunologic difficulties with certain vectors indicate that more effort needs to be directed at the basic science of gene transfer. Ultimately, successful cancer-specific gene therapy will require combinations of the lessons learned from the ex vivo and in vivo paradigms. The next generation of gene therapy trials likely will focus on combination therapy with conventional chemotherapeutic agents, differentiating agents, or radiation therapy. The obstacles to the development of gene-based human therapeutics (i.e., molecular medicine) are formidable, but the benefits are so great that eventually the technical issues of gene transfer methodology will be worked out, and ultimately this will become the standard of care, not only for inborn errors of metabolism, but also for cancer.
Ferrer
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The James Buchanan Brady Urological Institute, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, Maryland 21287-2101, USA.
Rodriguez
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D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D017951:Antigen Presentation; D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm / Q000276:immunology; D019496:Cancer Vaccines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D017321:Clinical Trials, Phase I as Topic; D016207:Cytokines / Q000627:therapeutic use; D003713:Dendritic Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000637:transplantation; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000627:therapeutic use; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D016233:Immunotherapy, Active; D008297:Male; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics; D014780:Viruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
D000951:Antigens, Neoplasm; D019496:Cancer Vaccines; D016207:Cytokines; D016376:Oligonucleotides, Antisense; D014764:Viral Proteins; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D015774:Ganciclovir