Herpes simplex virus oncolytic therapy for pediatric malignancies.
Despite improving survival rates for children with cancer, a subset of patients exist with disease resistant to traditional therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. These patients require newer, targeted treatments used alone or in combination with more traditional approaches. Oncolytic herpes simplex virus (HSV) is one of these newer therapies that offer promise for several difficult to treat pediatric malignancies. The potential benefit of HSV therapy in pediatric solid tumors including brain tumors, neuroblastomas, and sarcomas is reviewed along with the many challenges that need to be addressed prior to moving oncolytic HSV therapy from the laboratory to the beside in the pediatric population.
Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Alabama, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA. gfriedman@peds.uab.edu
Gregory K
GK
Friedman
Joseph G
JG
Pressey
Alyssa T
AT
Reddy
James M
JM
Markert
G Yancey
GY
Gillespie
D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D009447:Neuroblastoma / Q000628:therapy; D050130:Oncolytic Virotherapy / Q000379:methods*; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000628:therapy; D018139:Simplexvirus