Gene therapy shows promise against Brain Cancer

Early trials of a new form of gene therapy may give hope to patients battling Glioblastoma, the most deadly form of brain cancer. Called AdV-Tk therapy, the new treatment involves two steps. As the researchers explained it, the first step involves taking DNA from the herpes virus and injecting it into tumor cells, and then attacking those DNA-tagged cells with a powerful drug.
In the second step, the drug helps spur the patient's immune systems to eliminate more of the cancer cells over time. All of the patients in the study had also undergone surgeries aimed at minimizing the tumor, the researchers noted.
"Surgery, along with chemotherapy and radiation, is the only current treatment option," he added. "This cancer is like an octopus, it reaches into all parts of the brain [and] you can only ever get some of it out."
However, "this particular gene therapy is better than anything else we have," said Baskin, who also directs the Peak Brain Tumor Center at the Houston hospital. "By inserting a virus into the tumor, then attacking that virus with medication while also firing up the patient's own immune system, you can get a real one-two punch treatment effect, and prolonged survival."