Viral Therapy of Cancer

In the last decade there has been an explosion of interest in viraltherapies for cancer. Viral agents have been developed that areharmless to normal tissues but selectively able to kill cancercells. These agents have been endowed with additional selectivityand potency through genetic manipulation. Increasingly theseviruses are undergoing evaluation in clinical trials, both assingle agents and in combination with standard chemotherapy andradiotherapy.This book provides a comprehensive yet succinct overview of thecurrent status of viral therapy of cancer. Chapters coherentlypresent the advances made with individual agents and review thebiological and clinical background to a range of viral therapies:structured to proceed from basic science at the bench to thepatient's bedside, they give an up-to-date and realisticevaluation of a therapy's potential utility for the cancerpatient.* Presents state of the art knowledge on how viruses can be, andhave been, used in novel therapeutic approaches for the treatmentof cancer* Describes the use of viruses as oncolytic agents, killing cellsdirectly* Editors are experts in the field, with experience of bothlaboratory and clinical researchViral Therapy of Cancer is essential reading for bothbasic scientists and clinicians with an interest in viral therapyand gene therapy.