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First Study Begins To Treat Retinoblastoma Using Gene Therapy A new technique using gene therapy to save the sight of children with retinoblastoma is under study at Texas Children's Cancer Center. Retinoblastoma is a rare tumor of the eye, most often striking children under age 3. It causes blindness and may in some cases be life threatening. "The traditional treatment has been to remove one or both of the diseased eyes. Treatment might also involve chemotherapy and/or radiation, but the toxicity often produces a second cancer in the bone surrounding the eye," says Dr. Richard Hurwitz, principal investigator of the study and associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine. "Our technique reduces or eliminates these devastating effects." Researchers will inject a portion of a viral gene into the tumor. The gene will infect the tumor so the cells become susceptible to an anti-virus drug. The anti-virus drug injected into the tumor kills the genetically altered cells and shrinks the tumor. According to Dr. Hurwitz, the patient receives only a segment of the virus and is in no danger of contracting the virus. "The gene and the drug work in combination to start a suicide process within the tumor. Similar treatments have been used to treat patients with prostate cancer and brain tumors, but this will be the first time that the technique will be studied to treat retinoblastoma," Dr. Hurwitz says. The shrunken tumor can later be removed through laser surgery or by cryosurgery, a technique to freeze the tumor. Cancer center researchers and physicians will work cooperatively with a team of ophthamologic specialists at Baylor. "It's exciting that this treatment may save most of a child's eyesight, avoid facial deformities from the removal of one or both eyes, and eliminate the risk of a second cancer," Dr. Hurwitz says. - From the Texas Children's Cancer Center Courtesy of Texas Medical Center News
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