News Release

Gene therapy plus radiation therapy shows the way to better cancer treatments

Peer-Reviewed Publication

ECCO-the European CanCer Organisation

New gene therapy techniques can enhance the action of radiation therapy, delegates at the European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology Conference in Istanbul heard today (Thursday 21 September).

Dr Matthew A. Spear from the University of California, San Diego, USA said that when gene therapy treatments are used in combination with radiation therapy and chemotherapy they may significantly improve cancer patients' outcome. "Based on what we have seen in animal tumour cell lines we believe that the addition of gene therapy agents will improve the efficacy of cancer treatments in humans". As well as helping to target the cells to be treated, they can also help in the production of the therapeutic drug within the tumour, he said.

"This is a very exciting and promising area. Killing cancer cells using multiple different selective and complementary mechanisms together is more powerful than when each is used alone."

Several gene therapy agents have been tested in combination with radiation therapy with promising results. The way they work together is complicated, but effective. One agent can sensitise the cancer cells to radiotherapy, while another 'switches on' after radiotherapy treatment. This agent and others also work by activating chemotherapy drugs. All these agents are carried to their targets in modified viruses, many of which preferentially infect and kill tumour cells in combination with radiation.

Radiation carries the additional advantage of being focused on the tumour, thus avoiding side effects to other areas of the body, said Dr. Spear.

"The gene therapy agents are in the clinical trial stage and we think that gene therapy clinical trials with radiotherapy will soon begin", he said.

###

Note for editors: The European Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology (ESTRO) was founded in 1980 as a society of individual members working in the field of radiotherapy and oncology. It aims to improve the treatment of cancer patients by establishing the integration of radiation oncology with other methods of treatment (e.g. surgery, chemotherapy), and by establishing best practice in radiotherapy. ESTRO has more than 5000 members throughout Europe.

For further information:
Kay Roche
Mary Rice
32-0-2-775-02-03
Kay@fecs.be
Mary@fecs.be


Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.