Gene therapy is a promising new method for treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It allows doctors to target specific genes to prevent cancerous cells from growing and spreading.
NSCLC is a common form of cancer. It causes cancerous cells to form in the tissues of the lung. NSCLC is a serious condition. However, many people receive treatment and survive for years.
Treating NSCLC typically involves interacting with multiple specialists and receiving a combination of therapies. Specific treatment plans depend on factors that include the tumor size, type of NSCLC, and the extent of its spread to other organs.
Surgery, radiation or chemotherapy, and immunotherapy are examples of key techniques that doctors use to treat NSCLC.
Gene therapy is another promising treatment for NSCLC, which targets genes that contribute to the tumor.
There are two main approaches to using gene therapy to treat cancer:
This article focuses on the second approach to NSCLC gene therapy. Read on to learn more.
Getting genes into cells requires making vectors, which are vehicles that scientists engineer to deliver genetic materials. For example, viruses have a natural ability to deliver genetic material into cells and can act as vectors.
Scientists can deactivate parts of the virus that cause infectious diseases. They can then modify the virus to carry genetic material into cancerous cells.
One type of gene therapy for NSCLC targets tumor-suppressor genes, which are the most common gene mutation that contributes to the disease. Another approach involves restoring specific proteins to prevent disease progression.
Other possible applications include inserting genes that:
NSCLC gene therapy is a new form of treatment. However, early results are promising.
A 2017 review suggests that restoring a functional tumor-suppressing gene could slow the growth of cancer cells. Clinical trials have found that inserting tumor-suppressing genes into people who had not responded to other treatments reduced tumor size by up to 50%.
Another review in 2016 suggests that the treatment is more effective when combining NSCLC gene therapy with other therapies, such as chemotherapy or immunotherapy.
According to the American Cancer Society, doctors typically use gene therapy for advanced cancer cases.
NSCLC gene therapy is a new technique. However, it still has to meet rigorous Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards for safety and effectiveness before a doctor can recommend it.
Gene therapies that the FDA approves are safe. However, they can have side effects, such as:
According to the FDA, gene therapies can transform medicine and provide options for people with illnesses that were previously without a cure. However, every treatment has limitations to its effectiveness.
Some limitations to gene therapy include:
Doctors will typically develop a treatment plan with people who have NSCLC depending on their health, age, and other relevant factors. Some common forms of NSCLC treatment include:
Doctors may combine these treatments to maximize their effectiveness. This will involve undergoing multiple treatments at once or back-to-back treatments, or both.
For example, doctors may use a therapy to treat cancer in one part of the body and another therapy to treat where it is spreading.
Doctors typically describe the outlook for people with cancer using the percentage of people alive at least 5 years after their diagnosis. This is the 5-year survival rate. They may further break down 5-year survival rates according to specific NSCLC diagnoses.
According to the American Cancer Society, the 5-year survival rate for people with NSCLC are:
NSCLC is a common form of lung cancer in the United States. Gene therapy for people with NSCLC is a promising new treatment that targets specific genes that contribute to disease progression. There is evidence that gene therapy can slow the growth of tumors in people with NSCLC.
Gene therapy is new, but has the potential to change the way doctors can treat cancer. Scientists and doctors must first overcome limitations, including finding reliable methods to deliver gene therapy.
Read more:
NSCLC gene therapy: Success rate, other options, and more - Medical News Today
- F.D.A. Says Millions Got Unapproved Drugs, Should the new bioequivalence and bioanalytical guidelines for 2010, be made more stringent [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2010]
- F.D.A. Says Millions Got Unapproved Drugs, Should the new bioequivalence and bioanalytical guidelines for 2010, be made more stringent [Last Updated On: April 15th, 2010] [Originally Added On: April 15th, 2010]
- GSK, MedTrust launch iPhone/iPad app for cancer trials [Last Updated On: June 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 11th, 2010]
- GSK, MedTrust launch iPhone/iPad app for cancer trials [Last Updated On: June 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 11th, 2010]
- 22 Million Australian Cloud computing initiative to benefit life science researchers [Last Updated On: June 19th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 19th, 2010]
- GE Healthcare announces SaaS Electronic Medical Records Management [Last Updated On: June 19th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 19th, 2010]
- 22 Million Australian Cloud computing initiative to benefit life science researchers [Last Updated On: June 19th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 19th, 2010]
- GE Healthcare announces SaaS Electronic Medical Records Management [Last Updated On: June 19th, 2010] [Originally Added On: June 19th, 2010]
- How useful would be the Single-patient clinical trials for improving the hopes of Personalized medicine [Last Updated On: August 12th, 2010] [Originally Added On: August 12th, 2010]
- How useful would be the Single-patient clinical trials for improving the hopes of Personalized medicine [Last Updated On: August 12th, 2010] [Originally Added On: August 12th, 2010]
- Life Sciences at Oracle Open World 2010 [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2010]
- ChIP Enrichment Analysis can speed up drug discovery [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2010]
- GE’s healthymagination initiative lead Smart Patient Room to improve patient safety goes live at Bassett Medical Center [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2010]
- The SaaS impact on solution selling for ISVs (via Inner Lining) [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2010]
- Oracle starts the Oracle Health Sciences Institute (OHSI), in partnership with Sun Labs [Last Updated On: October 11th, 2010] [Originally Added On: October 11th, 2010]
- 70% of Pharmaceutical organisations outsource at least one PV activity. This level is expected to increase to 80% by 2012 [Last Updated On: October 26th, 2010] [Originally Added On: October 26th, 2010]
- Insurance coverage for healthcare IT software, to protect healthcare IT companies from damages inflicted by their software [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2010]
- India announce Heart Surgery for $1000 USD [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2010]
- Indian Healthcare IT market & Oracle’s presence in Indian Healthcare [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2010]
- Insurance coverage for healthcare IT software, to protect healthcare IT companies from damages inflicted by their software [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2010]
- India announce Heart Surgery for $1000 USD [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2010]
- Indian Healthcare IT market & Oracle’s presence in Indian Healthcare [Last Updated On: November 7th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 7th, 2010]
- Harvard Medical Schools new automated safety surveillance system provides faster early warnings in the postmarket evaluation of medical device safety [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- SalesForce.com partner introduces CRM for clinical trial management on Force Platform [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- Widespread fraud in the Clinical Trial of Drugs is pervasive event in United States [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- Scott Stern Kellogg School of Management speaks about “New Drug Development: From Laboratory to Blockbuster to Generic,” [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- MNC Pharma tries to capture the $1.9 billion Indian OTC market by selling Drugs through India’s 170000 post offices [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- collaborative clinical trials management software for Central Laboratories [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- Clinical Trial and Pharmacovigilance process automation [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- Microsoft in Clinical Trials Management System (CTMS) and Electronic Data Capture (EDC) [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- Oracle Business Intelligence Enteprise Edition (OBIEE) for Clinical Trial Management System (CTMS) [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- trends in the life sciences and pharma research and development outsourcing (RDO) [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2010] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2010]
- Sanofi-Aventis ties up with Oxford Univ for oncology research in India [Last Updated On: December 20th, 2010] [Originally Added On: December 20th, 2010]
- PharmaNet unveils touch screen capable data capture platform for Phase I Clinical Trials [Last Updated On: December 20th, 2010] [Originally Added On: December 20th, 2010]
- Adverse Events in Hospitals- United States Department of Health Report slams current measures in US hospitals [Last Updated On: December 21st, 2010] [Originally Added On: December 21st, 2010]
- IBM Files Application to Patent The Patent [Last Updated On: January 4th, 2011] [Originally Added On: January 4th, 2011]
- How to improve R&D productivity: the pharmaceutical industry’s grand challenge [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2011] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2011]
- AstraZeneca Announce Real-World Evidence Data Collaboration [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2011] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2011]
- How to improve R&D productivity: the pharmaceutical industry’s grand challenge [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2011] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2011]
- AstraZeneca Announce Real-World Evidence Data Collaboration [Last Updated On: February 14th, 2011] [Originally Added On: February 14th, 2011]
- Medication adherence improves, When Patients Share Their Stories [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2011] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2011]
- Questions for the CRO [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2011] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2011]
- Clinical Research Sites Struggle With Increasing Trial Complexity yet most depend on, Google (or other search sites) as the primary information tool [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2011] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2011]
- Medication adherence improves, When Patients Share Their Stories [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2011] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2011]
- Questions for the CRO [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2011] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2011]
- Clinical Research Sites Struggle With Increasing Trial Complexity yet most depend on, Google (or other search sites) as the primary information tool [Last Updated On: March 13th, 2011] [Originally Added On: March 13th, 2011]
- Law of the land can help or destroy the Pharmacovigilance system [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2011] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2011]
- Law of the land can help or destroy the Pharmacovigilance system [Last Updated On: March 27th, 2011] [Originally Added On: March 27th, 2011]
- Coast To Coast AM - 15.11.2011 - 1/4 - Regenerative Medicine/Dulce Base - Video [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2011] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2011]
- Coast To Coast AM - 15.11.2011 - 4/4 - Regenerative Medicine/Dulce Base - Video [Last Updated On: November 29th, 2011] [Originally Added On: November 29th, 2011]
- HIV Resistant Genes...Rhesus Negative, Excess PK [Last Updated On: November 30th, 2011] [Originally Added On: November 30th, 2011]
- Indian Government’s new dose of strong medicine to bring cheers to Foreign Pharma CEOs who cut their teeth by struggling to convince Indian pharma to change sales practices [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2011] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2011]
- Indian Government’s new dose of strong medicine to bring cheers to Foreign Pharma CEOs who cut their teeth by struggling to convince Indian pharma to change sales practices [Last Updated On: December 18th, 2011] [Originally Added On: December 18th, 2011]
- Drug Reps Soften Their Sales Pitches, as pharma learns from Disney [Last Updated On: January 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: January 15th, 2012]
- Drug Reps Soften Their Sales Pitches, as pharma learns from Disney [Last Updated On: January 15th, 2012] [Originally Added On: January 15th, 2012]
- Oracle Unveils Oracle® Health Sciences Omics Data Bank as Part of Oracle Health Sciences Translational Research Center [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2012] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2012]
- Oracle Unveils Oracle® Health Sciences Omics Data Bank as Part of Oracle Health Sciences Translational Research Center [Last Updated On: January 29th, 2012] [Originally Added On: January 29th, 2012]
- One Way to Teach Your Boss About Social Media [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2012]
- “The Banks Can Do It, Why Can’t Hospitals?” [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2012]
- Internet on any Display Device, or internet on TV at low cost can it transform Healthcare or Clinical Research [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2012]
- Is Life Sciences the New Frontier for Analytics? [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2012]
- Internet on any Display Device, or internet on TV at low cost can it transform Healthcare or Clinical Research [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2012]
- Is Life Sciences the New Frontier for Analytics? [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2012]
- Regenerative Medicine: Current Concepts and Changing Trends - Video [Last Updated On: February 12th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 12th, 2012]
- bluebird bio Appoints David Davidson, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer [Last Updated On: February 16th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 16th, 2012]
- privacy controlled social networking to connect patients with caregivers [Last Updated On: February 19th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 19th, 2012]
- SOCIAL CRM and its Impact on Pharmaceutical Industry [Last Updated On: February 19th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 19th, 2012]
- SOCIAL CRM and its Impact on Pharmaceutical Industry [Last Updated On: February 19th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 19th, 2012]
- privacy controlled social networking to connect patients with caregivers [Last Updated On: February 19th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 19th, 2012]
- British Government launches Government Cloud Store with 257 Cloud Computing Suppliers [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2012]
- Patient Adherence Investments by Pharma Companies Current Scenario [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2012]
- Pharma looks to mobile strategies to effectively reach prescribers | mHIMSS [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2012]
- British Government launches Government Cloud Store with 257 Cloud Computing Suppliers [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2012]
- Pharma looks to mobile strategies to effectively reach prescribers | mHIMSS [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2012]
- Patient Adherence Investments by Pharma Companies Current Scenario [Last Updated On: February 26th, 2012] [Originally Added On: February 26th, 2012]
- Predictive Analytics for Patient Adherence [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2012]
- Predictive Analytics for Patient Adherence [Last Updated On: March 4th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 4th, 2012]
- Genetic manipulation boosts growth of brain cells linked to learning, enhances effects of antidepressants [Last Updated On: March 10th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 10th, 2012]
- Can “Clinical Data Integration on the Cloud” be a reality? [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2012]
- Can “Clinical Data Integration on the Cloud” be a reality? [Last Updated On: March 11th, 2012] [Originally Added On: March 11th, 2012]