Gene therapy for prostate cancer at the University of California, Los Angeles: preliminary results and future directions

The treatment options for patients with advanced prostate cancer are limite d. Because of recent advances in the understanding of the molecular biology of prostate cancer, the accessibility of the prostate for injection, and t he availability of gene promoters that allow tissue-specific expression of therapeutic gene products, gene therapy for prostate cancer has realized si gnificant achievements in recent years. What once belonged to the realm of basic science is now entering the domain of phase II clinical trials. In th is review, current results and future directions in prostate gene therapy a t the University of California, Los Angeles, are discussed.