EFFECTIVE NEW CANCER THERAPIES WHICH ARE INDEPENDENT OF P53 GENE STATUS

Abstract

The gene product of the tumor suppressor gene p53 is known to play an important role in cancer therapy. The p53 molecule induces cell-cycle arrest, apoptosis and DNA repair after cells are subjected to cancer therapies involving ionizing radiation, hyperthermia and anti-cancer drugs. Patients with cancers bearing mutated (m) p53 or deleted p53 gene often have a poorer prognosis than those with cancers bearing wild-type (wt) p53 gene. We reported that efficient cell lethality by ionizing radiation, hyperthermia and anti-cancer drugs was observed in wt p53 cells, but not in cells bearing mp53 or deleted p53 genes in human cultured cancer cells. This review summarizes the contribution of p53 in these cancer therapies and demonstrates the strategy for tailor-made therapies for cancer cells with a different p53 gene status. The application of potential new therapies, such as chemical chaperon therapy with glycerol and p53 C- terminal peptides could be effective even for mp53 bearing cancers. Some sensitizers such as small interference RNA and targeting inhibitors, and heavy ion beams could be effective regardless of p53 gene status. These new therapies would be expected to be high efficacy treatments regardless of p53 gene status.