The promise of gene therapy for pancreatic cancer
Résumé
Unlike other digestive-cancer entities, chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted therapies have, so far, largely failed to improve patient survival in pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC), which remains the fourth leading cause of cancer-related death in Europe and the United States. In this context, gene therapy may offer a new avenue for PDAC patients. In this review, we explore the research currently ongoing in French laboratories aimed at defeating PDAC using non-viral therapeutic gene delivery, targeted transgene expression or oncolytic virotherapy that recently or will soon bridge the gap between experimental models of cancer and clinical trials. These studies are likely to change clinical practice or thinking about PDAC management, as they represent a major advance not only for PDAC and may also largely influence the field of gene-based molecular treatment of cancer.