Attempts are also being made to determine in the laboratory which chemical treatments a given cancer is sensitive to. A sample of your cancer is grown in a test tube, then exposed to various drugs to see which appears to work best. This approach has not yet yielded results good enough to make it part of the routine treatment. Once the immunotoxins recognize a cancer cell they deliver a powerful toxin attached to the antibody which enters and kills the cell. Early studies of immunotoxins used in bladder cancer treatment are in progress.
Gene therapy is a promising, new method being tested against bladder cancer.
Researchers are studying ways to infect bladder cancer cells with genetically engineered viruses that contain a normal p53 gene in order to restore normal growth control. Clinical trials of this therapy are currently underway. References Campbell's Urology, 6th ed. Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine, 14th edition, edited by Kurt Isselbacher et al. Urol Clin North Am.