Gene therapy in cancer: the missing point
Darja Kanduc, Jan Geliebter, Alberta Lucchese, Roberto Mazzanti, Abraham Mitelman, Lorenzo Polimento, Antonio Ponzetto, Rafaella Santacroce, Simone Simone, Ebberta Sinigaglia, Animesh A. Sinha, Luciana Tessitore, Raj K. Tiwari and Emanual Farber
Over the last century cancer research has produced data leading to a composite picture where gene mutations and epigenetic phenomena strictly relate and overlap. This complexity has repercussions on the anti-cancer therapeutical strategies. The therapeutic pathway paved by the kochian one cause/one disease principle fails in front of a multigenic multiphenomena disease like cancer. We still do not know what target(s) to hit/modify in order to prevent/stop the carcinogenic progression. On the light of cancer statistics 2005, we discuss the need of exactly defining the cancer targets in order to exploit the high potential of gene therapy.