Minimal residual disease as the target for immunotherapy and gene therapy of cancer (review).
Local recurrences at the site of tumour resection as well as distant micrometastases manifested after surgery represent major problems in oncology. Adjuvant immunotherapy and gene therapy may help to cope, at least partially, with these problems. Adjuvant modalities may be more effective in treating residual tumour disease compared to bulky tumours, owing to a favourable effector/target cell ratio. The purpose of this review was to summarize, evaluate and discuss the results obtained with adjuvant immunotherapy and immunomodulatory gene therapy of surgical minimal residual tumour disease in experimental and clinical tumour systems. The prospects and limitations of adjuvant therapeutic modalities will be considered.
Bubeník
Jan
J
Institute of Molecular Genetics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Flemingovo nám. 2, 16637 Prague 6, Czech Republic. bubenik@img.cas.cz
Símová
Jana
J
D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D023381:Endpoint Determination; D015316:Genetic Therapy; D006801:Humans; D007167:Immunotherapy; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D018365:Neoplasm, Residual; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology / Q000628:therapy*