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Implications of studies of inherited predisposition for prevention and treatment

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The Genetics of Cancer

Part of the book series: Cancer Biology and Medicine ((CABM,volume 4))

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Abstract

At one extreme, the reaction to identification of constitutional genetic factors increasing cancer susceptibility is to advocate ‘gene therapy’, meaning replacement of the mutant gene with a normal copy. While this would have obvious attractions, everything that is known about the practicalities of gene therapy suggests that hereditary cancer will be one of the last areas where it will find a place. Even assuming that removal of the inherited mutation is unnecessary (and this would probably be a false assumption in certain instances, such as MEN 2 or Li-Fraumeni syndrome), introduction of any new gene construct is limited by the efficiency of the transfection step. Under the most favourable conditions, using a retroviral vector and being prepared to accept insertion of multiple copies of the construct into some cells, the efficiency of in-vivo transfection never reaches 100%1,2. In the case of a cancer, escapc of even a tiny number of cells from genetic ‘correction’ would defeat the purpose of the therapy.

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Authors
  1. C. M. Steel
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Cambridge, UK

    B. A. J. Ponder (Professor of Human Cancer Genetics) & M. J. Waring (Reader in Chemotherapy) (Professor of Human Cancer Genetics) &  (Reader in Chemotherapy)

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© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Steel, C.M. (1995). Implications of studies of inherited predisposition for prevention and treatment. In: Ponder, B.A.J., Waring, M.J. (eds) The Genetics of Cancer. Cancer Biology and Medicine, vol 4. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0677-1_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0677-1_9

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  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4294-9

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