Despite the unceasing progression in chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery, neoplasms are still the second, after cardiovascular diseases, cause of death in the world. The creation of oncolytic viruses gives hope for increase of anticancer therapy effectiveness. Oncolytic viruses are the type of viruses that selectively infect and cause the lyse of tumor cells excluding normal cells. This mechanism allows to avoid the consequences of the possible replication of the virus, which having entered to the organism, replicates in organism's cells by using the DNA of host cells. The development of genetic engineering and molecular biology has enabled the creation of this kind of genetically modified viruses, which deprive them of their virulence. Currently, there are many clinical trials in progress including the use of oncolytic viruses in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, thyroid cancer, colorectal cancer, liver cancer, melanoma and glioblastoma multiforme treatment. There are parallel studies in animals using the subsequent viruses. Oncolytic viruses treatment is generally well tolerated, without significant side effects. It is worth to point out that this method combined with chemotherapy and radiotherapy allows to reduce the use of therapeutic doses, which significantly reduces the toxicity of conventional treatment. Further clinical studies evaluating the efficacy and safety of oncolytic viruses will develop more effective and better tolerated therapeutic protocols in the future.
Keywords: neoplasms; oncolytic viruses; viruses.
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