PRESENT STRATEGIES FOR GENE-THERAPY IN CANCER

Standard treatment of patients with malignant disease has for many yea rs focused on local surgery, radiation, and systemic chemotherapy. Bec ause available therapy has remained unsatisfactory for the more freque nt cancers, oncologists have been forced to explore novel therapeutic approaches. The recognition of existing genetic differences between no rmal and malignant cells as well as progress in immunology, molecular and cellular biology have made preclinical development and clinical ap plication of a variety of gene therapeutic strategies possible, which are highlighted in this article.