Researchers from Houston Methodist Hospital carried out a long-term medical trial using a new technique called ‘suicide gene therapy’. The team said if the gene therapy is used in combination with radiotherapy, it could prove to be more helpful for patients with prostate cancer.

The findings of the team published in the journal of radiation oncology on December 12 showed that the technique combined with radiotherapy could be promising treatment for prostate cancer patients.

A total of 66 prostate cancer patients participated in the study. The participants were divided into two groups in the Phase II clinical trial between 1999 an 2003.

One group designated as Arm A included patients with cancer cells confined to the prostate. The participants of this group were given radiotherapy and the gene therapy twice during the study. The other group or the Arm B comprised patients with aggressive prostate cancer.

The results of the study stunned researchers. They found that 97% increased survival rate in patients with less severe cancer whereas the increase in survival rate has been found to be 94% in the other group.

Brian Butler, chair of the radiation oncology department at Houston Methodist, said they gave patients a commonly used anti-herpes drug, valacyclovir and once the herpes virus gene delivered it star manufacturing thymidine kinase (TK).

“The combination attacked the herpes DNA, and the TK-producing tumor cells self-destructed, which is why the procedure is called ‘suicide gene therapy”, he said.