[Gene therapy for breast cancer]

Not only the local treatments like surgery and radiation but also the systemic treatments like chemotherapy and hormone therapy are rather effective on both primary and metastatic breast cancer patients. Nevertheless, the curativity and survival of this disease have been not satisfied yet. The difficulties of the treatment seems the emergence of drug-resistant cells and the low immunity of the host. Gene therapy offers a potentially useful approach for the treatment of breast cancer. The approaches of gene therapy for breast cancer that are now undergoing as clinical protocols in USA can be divided into three strategies: (1) approaches that alter the metabolic or signaling pathways within the breast cancer cell; (2) approaches designed to enhance the immune response to the tumor cells(immuno gene therapy); and (3) approaches that use the drug-resistant gene with chemotherapy. According to the new biology of breast cancer by Fisher, the systemic treatments are more important. Immuno-therapy seems especially promising in this field. Moreover, the immuno gene therapy is hopeful that could overcome the difficulties like heterogeneity and low immunogenicity of breast cancer cell.