The Expression Of CD40L Gene And Uridine Phosphorylase Gene In Tumors And Their Mechanisms

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal of all gynecological malignancies with its highest mortality rate. Unfortunately, 70–80% of these patients have advanced stage disease at the time of diagnosis, and optimal cytoreductive surgery followed by platinum-based chemotherapy is the gold standard of therapy. Patients with advanced disease have a response rate of 73–77% after first line therapy with paclitaxel and CDDP with a median progression-free interval of 16–18 months and a median survival of 35–38 months. Unfortunately, most patients will recur, and an important prognostic predictor is whether the recurrence is <6 months (platinum resistant) or >6 months (platinum sensitive) from completion of chemotherapy. The patients with platinum-resistant tumors have response rates of <10% when retreated with platinum compounds, and prognosis in these patients remains dismal. Overall, the 5-year survival rate for International Federation of Gynecologists and Obstetricians stage III disease is 20–25% and for stage IV disease is 5%. Although many patients have responses to standard combinations of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, dissemination and recurrence develop in nearly 90%.Novel and effective therapeutic strategies such as immunological approaches and gene therapies are therefore needed.CD40, a member of the tumour necrosis factor (TNF) receptor family, is expressed on a variety of haematopoietic cells and is crucial in orchestrating both humoral and cellular immune responses. CD40 is also expressed on some carcinoma cells, where its function remains largely unknown. CD40, a 48 kDa...