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Safety of Gene Therapy for Mesothelioma

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OncoLink Team
The Abramson Cancer Center of the University of Pennsylvania
Last Modified: May 7, 2013

Question

How can I be sure gene therapy or T cell therapy are safe?

Answer

Currently, patients can only receive gene therapy, T cell therapy, and other immune-based therapy as part of a clinical trial. There is no guarantee of safety for participation in any clinical trial, including ongoing gene therapy and T cell therapy trials. We conduct these trials, in large part, to assess the safety and proper dosing of these experimental therapies, but all early-phase trials come with a certain degree of uncertainty and risk of complications. Well-run early-phase trials, however, are conducted by experienced multidisciplinary teams that are trained in early recognition and intervention for any complications and/or side effects.

You may be interested in Dr. Sterman's presentation about gene therapy for mesothelioma at the 2012 Focus on Mesothelioma conference.

This question and answer was part of the OncoLink Brown Bag Chat Series. View the entire Focus on Mesothelioma transcript.