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Cancer immunogene therapy: a review.
1Neuro-Oncology Service, Department of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco, Calif. 94143-0372, USA. parneyi@neurosurg.ucsf.edu
Journal of Biomedical Science
|February 5, 2003
Summary
Immunogene therapy offers a promising approach to cancer treatment by stimulating the immune system. While preclinical results are strong, further refinement is needed for optimal clinical success in diverse tumor types.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunology
- Gene Therapy
Background:
- Immunotherapy shows promise for cancer treatment but has had limited clinical success.
- Advances in gene transfer and immunology enable novel strategies for stimulating antitumor immune responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review various cancer immunogene therapy strategies.
- To discuss their underlying approaches, successes, and clinical applications, with a focus on immunogene therapy vaccines.
Main Methods:
- Transferring genes encoding proinflammatory proteins to tumor cells.
- Suppressing immunosuppressive gene expression.
- Transferring genes to antigen-presenting cells (in situ or ex vivo).
Main Results:
- Numerous preclinical studies demonstrate the potential of immunogene therapy.
- Clinical trial results are limited and scattered in the literature.
Conclusions:
- Cancer immunogene therapy holds significant preclinical promise but requires further development for clinical application.
- The optimal approach is likely tumor-dependent and will benefit from refined treatment protocols.