Oncolytic Adenovirus, a New Treatment Strategy for Prostate Cancer

Abstract

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer and one of the leading causes of cancer mortality in males. Androgen-deprivation therapy (ADT) is an effective strategy to inhibit tumour growth at early stages. However, 10~50% of cases are estimated to progress to metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC) which currently lacks effective treatments. Clinically, salvage treatment measures, such as endocrine therapy and chemotherapy, are mostly used for advanced prostate cancer, but their clinical outcomes are not ideal. When the existing clinical therapeutic methods can no longer inhibit the development of advanced prostate cancer, human adenovirus (HAdV)-based gene therapy and viral therapy present promising effects. Pre-clinical studies have shown its powerful oncolytic effect, and clinical studies are ongoing to further verify its effect and safety in prostate cancer treatment. Targeting the prostate by HAdV alone or in combination with radiotherapy and chemotherapy sheds light on patients with castration-resistant and advanced prostate cancer. This review summarizes the advantages of oncolytic virus-mediated cancer therapy, strategies of HAdV modification, and existing preclinical and clinical investigations of HAdV-mediated gene therapy to further evaluate the potential of oncolytic adenovirus in prostate cancer treatment.

Innate Immune Response to Viral Vectors in Gene Therapy

“…It is primarily employed in the treatment of head and neck tumors, specifically nasopharyngeal carcinoma. The treatment regimen involves local injections combined with chemotherapy [ 37 ]. In 2022, Adstiladrin received FDA approval as a rAd-IFNα/Syn3 vector gene therapy for the treatment of adults with high-risk BCG non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) [ 26 ].…”

“…Ad vectors have shown promise in the treatment of metastatic diseases, such as prostate cancer, where limited treatment. At present, a number of clinical trials utilizing Ad5 as a vector for localized prostate cancer treatment have exhibited favorable safety profiles and notable efficacy [ 37 ].…”