Gene therapy in thyroid cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Molecular Biology
• Radiotherapy

Background:

• Follicular cell-derived and medullary thyroid cancer present significant treatment challenges, especially in advanced and metastatic stages.
• Current treatment modalities for thyroid cancer have limitations, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and evaluate the potential of various gene therapy approaches for treating thyroid cancer.
• To highlight the promise of NIS (sodium-iodide symporter) gene therapy combined with radionuclide therapy for thyroid cancer treatment.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on gene therapy strategies for thyroid cancer, including corrective, cytoreductive, and immunomodulatory approaches.
• Focus on NIS gene transfer combined with targeted radionuclide therapy (e.g., (131)I, (188)Re, (211)At).
• Discussion of vector systems, including replication-selective viral vectors and biodegradable polymers, for efficient and safe systemic gene delivery.

Main Results:

• Gene therapy approaches demonstrate high potential for advanced and dedifferentiated thyroid cancer, especially within multimodality treatment plans.
• NIS gene therapy offers dual functionality as both a therapeutic agent and a reporter gene for noninvasive imaging and monitoring.
• The bystander effect associated with some gene therapies can compensate for limited vector spread within tumors.

Conclusions:

• Gene therapy holds significant promise for the future treatment of advanced thyroid cancer, particularly when integrated into multimodality strategies.
• Overcoming challenges in tumor-specific targeting and minimizing toxicity are crucial for clinical translation.
• NIS gene therapy, with its imaging capabilities, is essential for planning and monitoring individualized thyroid cancer treatment.