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Gene Therapy for Malignant Mesothelioma – ‘Suicide Gene’

In the absence of other reliably effective therapies for malignant mesothelioma, several groups are investigating the evolving technology of gene therapy. There are several characteristics that make mesothelioma an attractive target for gene therapy.
First is the absence of any effective standard therapy.
Second is its unique accessibility in the pleural space for vector delivery, biopsy, and subsequent analysis of treatment effects. A surgical ‘debulking’ procedure to remove gross disease, followed by gene therapy to remove residual disease would thus be technically feasible.
Third, local extension of disease, rather than distant metastases, is responsible for much of the morbidity and mortality associated with this neoplasm. Thus, unlike other more widespread neoplasms, small increments of improvement in local control could engender significant improvements in palliation or survival. Accordingly, a number of gene therapy trials aimed at treating mesothelioma using a wide variety of approaches have begun or are in the planning stages. Mesothelioma appears to be, at least to some extent, susceptible to immunotherapy, so gene therapy approaches aimed at efficiently stimulating host antimesothelioma immune responses may be effective.

MESOTHELIOMA CANSER INFO

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