Since over a century, medical literature has reported cases of viral infections leading to tumour regression. This phenomenon, now understood, can be exploited for cancer therapy. It involves viruses defined as "oncolytic". These viruses, either wild-type or genetically engineered, replicate preferentially in malignant cells. They induce tumour regression through various mechanisms including direct cell lysis and stimulation of an anti-tumour immune response. Several oncolytic viruses have reached late-stage clinical investigation and could be approved soon for treating certain neoplasms. While already promising, there is still room for improvement and various genetic, immunological, and pharmacological strategies are currently under development to increase their therapeutic efficacy.
© 2013 médecine/sciences – Inserm / SRMS.