Neuroblastoma Treatment Using Gene Therapy

摘要

Neuroblastoma is a type of pediatric malignancy, characterised by high clinical heterogeneity. It starts from primitive nerve cells found in areas where nerves join together. The tumor regresses spontaneously in infants and on maturation differentiates into benign ganglioneuroblastoma in later stages. The tumor is peripheral and generally present on the sympathethic nervous system. In most of the solid tumors, tumor initiating cells (TICs) are present, which helps in fuelling the growth of tumor and start the metastases. Neuroblastoma typically spreads to the regional lymph nodes, bone and bone marrow. The mean age of diagnosis is 2 years, almost 1/4th of the cases occur before the age of 1 year and the remaining occur before 10 years of age. Symptoms generally depend on the size, location of the original tumor and extent to spread to the other parts of the body. Some prominent symptoms are pain, high blood pressure, problem in the movement of lower limb. Mostly in children it is recognized by the presence of an unusual lump in any part of the body (mainly abdominal region). Presence of common DNA variations in a region of chromosome 6 raises the risk of aggressive form of neuroblastoma in the child. Further sequencing of the chromosome region identified mutations in the anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK) gene in families affected by neuroblastoma. The epigenetic structure of DNA and its lesions play a role in the origin of human neuroblastomas due to which other treatment options for neuroblastomas can be created by the pharmaceutical manipulation of the epigenome. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) can be used as a treatment option for neuroblastoma since apoptosis can be induced in neuroblastoma cells using CAP. It also inhibits the metabolic rate of neuroblastoma cells.