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Gene Therapy for Primary and Metastatic Cancer to the Liver

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Liver Metastases

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Abstract

The term ‘gene therapy’ applies to all approaches involving the introduction of genetic material into a patient’s cells to produce a therapeutic protein or inhibit gene function. This therapy is possible because viruses, bacteria, plants and mammals all share the same interchangeable genetic code. Gene therapy is currently being employed in an attempt to cure or ameliorate the growth of various malignancies.1,2 The potential experimental gene therapies used for treating cancer may (1) transfer ‘suicide genes’ whose protein products converts a non-toxic precursor to a toxic molecule that kills the cancer cells (2) inhibit or regulate oncogenes (3) transfer tumour suppressor genes, such as p53 (4) promote or reinforce an immunological response to the tumour (5) inhibit proteins necessary for promoting metastases (6) inhibit tumour angiogenesis or (7) transfer drug resistance genes for bonemarrow protection from high-dose chemotherapy. This area of potential therapy is in its infancy and most approaches have yet to pass even the most preliminary clinical tests demonstrating their overall safety and efficacy. Common issues that are applied to the gene therapy of all diseases involves gene transfer, gene regulation, vector efficiency and safety.

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Authors
  1. M. Wayne Flye
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  2. Katherine Parker Ponder
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, University of Edinburgh, Royal Infirmary, Lauriston Place, EH3 9YW, Edinburgh, UK

    O. J. Garden (Professor of Hepatobiliary Surgery) (Professor of Hepatobiliary Surgery)

  2. Professorial Department of Surgery, Nottingham City Hospital, Hucknall Road, NG5 1PB, Nottingham, UK

    J. G. Geraghty (Consultant Surgeon) (Consultant Surgeon)

  3. Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, MN 55905, Rochester, Minnesota, USA

    D. M. Nagorney (Professor of Surgery) (Professor of Surgery)

  4. European Institute of Oncology, Via Ripamonti 435, 20133, Milan, Italy

    R. A. Audisio (Deputy Director of General Surgery) (Deputy Director of General Surgery)

  5. Department of Surgical Oncology, European Institute of Oncology, Via Ripamonti 435, 20141, Milan, Italy

    H. S. Stoldt (Consultant Surgeon) (Consultant Surgeon)

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© 1998 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Flye, M.W., Ponder, K.P. (1998). Gene Therapy for Primary and Metastatic Cancer to the Liver. In: Garden, O.J., Geraghty, J.G., Nagorney, D.M., Audisio, R.A., Stoldt, H.S. (eds) Liver Metastases. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1506-9_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-1506-9_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-1508-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-1506-9

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