Therapeutic potential of stem cells expressing suicide genes that selectively target human breast cancer cells: evidence that they exert tumoricidal effects via tumor tropism (review).
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide and is classified             into ductal and lobular carcinoma. Breast cancer as well as lobular carcinoma             is associated with various risk factors such as gender, age, female hormone exposure,             ethnicity, family history and genetic risk factor-associated genes. Genes associated             with a high risk of developing breast cancer include BRCA1, BRCA2, p53, PTEN,             CHEK2 and ATM. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and hormone therapy are used             to treat breast cancer but these therapies, except for surgery, have many side-effects             such as alopecia, anesthesia, diarrhea and arthralgia. Gene-directed enzyme/prodrug             therapy (GEPT) or suicide gene therapy, may improve the therapeutic efficacy of             conventional cancer radiotherapy and chemotherapy without side-effects. GEPT most             often involves the use of a viral vector to deliver a gene not found in mammalian             cells and that produces enzymes which can convert a relatively non-toxic prodrug             into a toxic agent. Examples of these systems include cytosine deaminase/5-fluorocytosine             (CD/5-FC), carboxyl esterase/irinotecan (CE/CPT-11), and thymidine kinase/ganciclovir             (TK/GCV). Recently, therapies based on genetically engineered stem cells (GESTECs)             using a GEPT system have received a great deal of attention for their clinical             and therapeutic potential to treat breast cancer. In this review, we discuss the             potential of GESTECs via tumor tropism effects and therapeutic efficacy against             several different types of cancer cells. GESTECs represent a useful tool for treating             breast cancer without inducing injuries associated with conventional therapeutic             modalities.
Laboratory of Veterinary Biochemistry and Immunology, College                     of Veterinary Medicine, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju, Chungbuk,                     Republic of Korea.
Bo-Rim
BR
Yi
Kelvin J
KJ
Choi
Seung U
SU
Kim
Kyung-Chul
KC
Choi
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D002166:Camptothecin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D043525:Cytosine Deaminase / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005437:Flucytosine / Q000378:metabolism; D005472:Fluorouracil / Q000378:metabolism; D015774:Ganciclovir / Q000378:metabolism; D041722:Genes, Transgenic, Suicide; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D015316:Genetic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D000077146:Irinotecan; D011355:Prodrugs / Q000378:metabolism / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013234:Stem Cells / Q000378:metabolism*; D013937:Thymidine Kinase / Q000235:genetics
D011355:Prodrugs; D000077146:Irinotecan; D005437:Flucytosine; D013937:Thymidine Kinase; D043525:Cytosine Deaminase; D015774:Ganciclovir; D005472:Fluorouracil; D002166:Camptothecin