Prostate cancer gene therapy: outcome of basic research and clinical trials.

With the advances in genetic engineering, tumor biology, and immunology, gene therapy has been recognized as a promising new treatment option for cancer, including prostate cancer. Several clinical trials of prostate cancer gene therapy currently underway are using therapeutic genes, including suicide genes, immunomodulatory genes, tumor suppressor genes, and antioncogenes. Although gene therapy for prostate cancer as a clinical alternative is still at an early stage that requires several technological breakthroughs, information obtained from clinical trials indicates the full potential of prostate cancer gene therapy. Concordant progress in basic research and gene therapy technology will ready prostate cancer gene therapy for widescale use in the future. In this report, the general concept and current progress in prostate cancer gene therapy are summarized.