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Using endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided injection to deposit therapeutic agents directly into tumors has been a dream for more than 20 years.
To test the safety and efficacy of this concept, investigators in Korea conducted a single-center, open-label, phase I trial, in which EUS was used to guide injection of a modified adenovirus (Ad5-DS) with potential antitumor activity into locally advanced pancreatic tumors in nine patients. Ad5-DS carries two “double suicide” genes that, in the presence of separately administered 5-fluorocytosine and valganciclovir, produce cytotoxic metabolites that can kill cancer cells. Patients also received individualized chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
At 12 weeks, no dose-limiting or additional toxicity was…