Mesothelioma Immunotherapy (including gene therapy)
Immunotherapy, also referred to as biological therapy, is based on the theory that it is possible to mobilize the body's own immune defenses against cancerous cells. Another name often applies to this therapy, biological response modifiers (BRMs), and is described in overview article on the subject.
Gene Therapy:
This new treatment, which is currently in clinical trial. Using an adenovirus for delivery, a "suicide gene" is inserted directly into the tumor. This gene makes the cells sensitive to a normally ineffective drug, such as glanciclovir. Treatment with the drug then destroys those cells that are rapidly dividing - which are the cancer cells - leaving the healthy cells unharmed.
New approaches to treating malignant mesothelioma include:
- New chemotherapy agents
- Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT)
- Immunotherapy
- Gene therapy
Summing Up New Treatments
It is incredibly important to continue working towards newer and more effective ways to treat malignant mesothelioma in addition to all cancers. The regulation of asbestos in the United States has helped to limit future cases of mesothelioma in America; however, a number of countries around the world continue to mine asbestos, putting future generations at risk of developing malignant mesothelioma. By continuing to work towards newer and more effective treatments, science can potentially lengthen the lives of hundreds of thousands of people around the world.
For many years, physicians believed that the immune system was effective only in combating infectious diseases caused by such invading agents as bacteria and viruses. More recently, we have learned that the immune system may play a central role in protecting the body against cancer and in combating cancer that has already developed. This latter role is not well understood, but there is evidence that in many cancer patients the immune system slows down the growth and spread of tumors. The body's ability to develop an immune reaction to tumors may help determine which patients are cured of cancer using conventional therapies, including surgery, radiation and drugs.
One immediate goal of research in cancer immunology is the development of methods to harness and enhance the body's natural tendency to defend it against malignant tumors. Immunotherapy represents a new and powerful weapon in the arsenal of anticancer treatments.
Immunotherapy seems to offer great promise as a new dimension in cancer treatment, but it is still very much in its infancy.
Immunotherapies involving certain cytokines and antibodies have now become part of standard cancer treatment. Other examples of Immunotherapy remain experimental. Although many clinical trials of new forms of Immunotherapy are in progress, an enormous amount of research remains to be done before the findings can be widely applied.
Gene therapy for mesothelioma is being researched at the University of Pennsylvania, with Dr. Steven Albelda as the principal investigator. This treatment is not without risk, as became apparent in the death of Jesse Gelsinger, a University of Pennsylvania gene therapy trial participant. (Note that Mr. Gelsinger was not a participant in the mesothelioma trial.)
