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Oboma et al. J Transl Genet Genom. 2025;9:62-75 Journal of Translational
DOI: 10.20517/jtgg.2024.74
Genetics and Genomics

Review Open Access

Review on gene and cell therapies in prostate cancer
treatment: prospects and challenges

2
3
1
Yibala Ibor Oboma , Bassey Ekpenyong , Agu Charles M. , Mirinn Kenneth E. 4
1
Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, Mwanza University, Mwanza P.O. BOX 3068,
Tanzania.
2
Department of Histopathology and Cytology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Rivers State University Nkpolo -
Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt PMB 5080, Nigeria.
3
Histopathology Department, Beacon Hospital Sandyford, Dublin 18, Ireland.
4
Department of Histopathology, Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa, Yenagoa PMB 502, Nigeria.
Correspondence to: Dr. Yibala Ibor Oboma, Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences, Mwanza
University, Mbugani Street, Kishili Ward, Mwanza P.O. BOX 3068, Tanzania. E-mail: yibaaoboma@kiu.ac.ug
How to cite this article: Oboma YI, Ekpenyong B, Charles M. A, Kenneth E. M. Review on gene and cell therapies in prostate
cancer treatment: prospects and challenges. J Transl Genet Genom. 2025;9:62-75. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/jtgg.2024.74
Received: 29 Sep 2024 First Decision: 21 Jan 2025 Revised: 17 Feb 2025 Accepted: 27 Feb 2025 Published: 21 Mar 2025

Academic Editor: Sanjay Gupta Copy Editor: Fangling Lan Production Editor: Fangling Lan

Abstract
Gene and cell therapies have emerged as innovative therapeutic strategies, offering a new paradigm in the
treatment of prostate cancer. This review explores the current state of gene and cell therapies, including their
mechanisms, applications, and the challenges faced in clinical translation. The article selection was based on the
2020 preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA). Eighty-four (84) articles
(published in English between 2018 and 2024) from standard electronic databases were extracted and reviewed.
Key therapeutic approaches such as viral vector-mediated delivery, CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, suicide genes, cell-
based therapies like CAR T cell therapy, and dendritic cell vaccines that target specific tumor antigens were
reviewed. These therapies promise to enhance therapeutic efficacy with few challenges, like off-target effects,
limited delivery efficiency, and immune-related toxicities associated with delivery. Advances in CAR T cells,
nanoparticle-based gene delivery systems, and epigenetic modulation are potential solutions to these challenges.
Combination therapies involving gene and cell therapies with immunotherapies and oncolytic viruses hold the
potential for synergistic treatment effects. Certain critical regulatory, ethical, and accessibility issues must be
addressed to ensure the safe and equitable deployment of these therapies. Continued research and innovation in
gene and cell therapies and streamlined regulatory pathways will be crucial for realizing their full potential in
treating prostate cancer. Overcoming these challenges and fears confronting gene and cell therapies worldwide
might facilitate a stream of personalized medicine in prostate oncology.

Keywords: CAR-T, CRISPR-Cas9, vector-mediated, gene therapy

© The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
International License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, sharing,
adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, for any purpose, even commercially, as
long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and
indicate if changes were made.

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