Cancer Therapy

Abstract

The prior art largely suggests that immune competence in a cancer patient would destroy an antigenic viral vector before it transfects host cells with a transgene-rendering therapy futile. We surprisingly found the opposite is true: cancer patients with competent immune systems obtain the most therapeutic benefit from antigenic viral vector, apparently because the antigenic viral vector, apart from transfecting cells with a transgene, induces a humoral immune response, which in turn attacks cells bearing cancer antigen. Our new therapy works particularly well in combination with cytotoxic chemotherapeutic drugs.

We claim: 
     
         1 . In a method of treating cancer in a human, the improvement comprising:
 a. Determining the level of immunity against a viral vector,   b. Confirming said human has a measurable level of immunity against said vector, and   c. Administering to said human said viral vector.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said administering to said human said viral vector comprises administering to a cavity created by a resection of said tumor. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said viral vector comprises adenovirus. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said viral vector comprises a transgene. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein said transgene comprises nucleic acid sequence coding for thymidine kinase enzyme. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein said cancer comprises glioma. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising administering to said human patient a cytotoxic chemotherapeutic. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 6 , further comprising administering to said human patient temozolomide. 
     
     
         9 . In a method of treating cancer in a human, the improvement comprising:
 a. Inducing an immune response against a viral vector, and then   b. Administering to said human said viral vector.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said administering to said human said viral vector comprises administering to a cavity created by a resection of said tumor. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said viral vector comprises adenovirus. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said viral vector comprises a transgene. 
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein said transgene comprises nucleic acid sequence coding for thymidine kinase enzyme. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein said cancer comprises glioma. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 9 , further comprising administering to said human patient a cytotoxic chemotherapeutic. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , further comprising administering to said human patient temozolomide.