What Surgeons Need to Know About Gene Therapy for Cancer.

The broad field of gene therapy offers numerous innovative approaches for cancer treatment. An understanding of the different modalities including gene replacement therapy, cancer vaccines, oncolytic viruses, cellular therapy, and gene editing is essential for managing patients with neoplastic disease. As in other areas of oncology, the surgeon plays a pivotal role in the diagnosis and treatment of the disease. This review focuses on what the clinical surgeon needs to know to optimize the benefit of gene therapy for patients with cancer.