Gene Therapy - A New Treatment For Cancer?

As science has advanced, doctors and researchers have understood and perfected the method of manipulating genes. Researchers have now realized that they can use gene therapy as a way prevent and fight certain diseases, including cancer. Basically gene therapy is introduction of genetic material, DNA and/or RNA, into a person's cells in order to fight a disease.

At the moment, gene therapy is still in clinical trial stage and is being tested on human subjects. However, it is not available as a regular treatment for cancer for cancer patients. However, clinical trials have shown results that are extremely optimistic. One approach being used by geneticists is to make healthy cells stronger to fight cancer while the other approach is to target the cancer cells and destroy them. Some of the techniques used in clinical trials of gene therapy to fight cancer are as follows:

o In one technique, researchers are working at replacing the altered genes with healthy ones. This is based on studies and premise that show, altered genes may cause cancer while replacing these genes with similar healthy copies can prevent the development of cancer.
o The best way to cure cancer is to enhance a patient's immune system so that it can attack the cancer cells. Researchers are studying various methods to stimulate a person's immune system to increase its ability to fight cancer cells.
o Another study being conducted is injecting cancer cells into the genes so that they become more receptive to the different cancer treatments. In addition, they are working to ensure that healthy cells become more resistant to the side effects of anti-cancer drugs.
o In another technique, researchers inject certain genes into cancer cells so that they can destroy these cells. In this approach, the patient in the human clinical trial is given an inactive form of a toxic drug, known as pro-drug, containing these genes which become active when they enter the cancer cells leading to their destruction.

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Gene Therapy

Cancer treatments have evolved over the years to the point that a diagnosis is no longer a kiss of death. For some cancers, it may still be something of a kiss of death; however, many others can be treated with a variety of treatments. A newer form of treatment is gene therapy.

Gene therapy, unlike other treatments, does not involve chemicals or radiation being thrown at the body. Instead, it uses the simple idea of getting the tumor or cancerous growth to take on the genetic makeup of say the common cold or measles or some illness we can treat effectively. Once the growth has taken on the genetic make up of the cold or whatever it is given, the treatment used to dispel that illness is administered. The theory is that if it works when it is not in tumor form, it should work in tumor form as well.

While the idea is lovely, it has not experienced as much success as one would think. In the mid to late 1990s, there was a clinical trial for curing mesothelioma utilizing this method. Of all of the people who underwent gene therapy to eradicate mesothelioma, only one woman, an Australian woman in her mid 20s, was the only one to survive. The good news is that she also beat the cancer so it was very successful in her case.

Other areas, besides mesothelioma, have seen more success. It is now being suggested that the measles virus may be very effective at treating prostate cancer. The common cold has also been effectively deployed into tumors to change their identity and cure cancer.

Gene therapy does sometimes work but it is much further away from being a sure thing than either radiation or chemotherapy. One of the biggest problems is that we have to be able to cure the disease we give the cancer cells. If we are unable to cure the disease quickly and effectively, the person can end up with cancer and measles or the flu or whatever else cancer is turned into.

In order to effectively change cancer into a disease, the second disease must have its own DNA. For that reason, bacteria and viruses are both open to the idea of being implanted. The problem with many viruses, however, is that they are less easily knocked out by a variety of antibiotics.

For more information on the world of cancer treatment and research, please visit http://www.mesolawsuit.com.

Joseph Devine

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