Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an uncommon, but lethal malignancy
resistant to most current therapies. It represents a good field of investigation for gene
therapy because the disease remains confined for a long time during its growth and the
neoplasm is quite accessible through the chest wall. Translational mechanisms for the
treatment of this disease are emerging from the novel high-throughput molecular
techniques, but a therapeutic gene capable of inhibiting the disease progression through
specific gene therapy has not yet been identified. Several trials on gene therapy have been
conducted in the last two decades showing safety but limited efficacy. Recent progress in
the field has provided optimism for successful molecular strategies in the future.
Keywords: Mesothelioma, gene therapy, adenovirus, high-throughput techniques.
