"Suicide" Gene Kills Brain Cancer -- Research Summary

BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma (GBM) belongs to a family of brain tumors called "astrocytomas." These are tumors which arise from astrocytes – star-shaped cells of the brain which play a role in supporting normal brain tissue. There are four stages of astrocytoma and GBM is the fourth; it is also the most aggressive type of nervous system tumor. (SOURCE: www.abta.org, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth, www.webmd.com)

SYMPTOMS: General symptoms of GBM are essentially the same as for other brain tumors, they include, headache, weakness, seizures, clumsiness; and having difficulty walking.
Specific symptoms will depend on the size and location of the GBM. The symptoms of brain cancer are numerous and not specific to brain tumors, meaning they can be caused by many other illnesses as well. The only way to know for sure what is causing the symptoms is to undergo diagnostic testing (SOURCE: cedars-sinai.edu, WebMD)

TREATMENT: The standard method of treating GBM has been essentially unchanged for many decades—surgical resection of as much of the tumor as is safe, followed by radiation therapy and chemotherapy (usually designed to damage DNA or to otherwise inhibit DNA replication) (SOURCE: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth)

KILLING BRAIN CANCER: Cancer cells are able to replicate, but there’s a trade-off: They cannot ward off infection as effectively as healthy cells. So scientists have been looking for ways to create viruses that are too weak to damage healthy cells yet strong enough to invade and destroy tumor cells.

UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center researchers and surgeons are among the first in the nation to treat patients with recurrent brain cancer by directly injecting an investigational viral vector into their tumor.

The trial is investigating the use of Toca 511 for injection in combination with Toca FC, extended-release tablets. Toca 511 is a retroviral replicating vector that is designed to deliver a cytosine deaminase (CD) gene selectively to cancer cells. After allowing time for the administered Toca 511 to spread through the cancerous tumor those cancer cells expressing the CD gene can convert flucytosine into the anti-cancer drug 5-fluorouracil. In this study, patients receive cycles of oral Toca FC monthly for up to six months. MORE
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