Chapter 04: Research Into Gene Therapies and Immunotherapies, and Thoughts on the Research Culture of the Division

Dr. Roth begins this chapter by discussing gene studies he initiated at MD Anderson, the first one focused on lung cancer and resistance to gene therapy (1986/’87). He notes this was pioneering work and he also discusses the need for the review boards set up to examine all such protocols at that time. He tells a story about the first patient injected with a retrovirus. He then talks about the progress made through this research, doubling the survival in Stage 3 lung cancer, with impact on the standard of care. Dr. Roth then observes that when he first arrived at MD Anderson, he saw an anti-research attitude among the more traditional surgeons, who believed that it was not possible to maintain clinical excellence and productivity while engaging in research. He expresses concerns that today’s focus on clinical productivity will cause research to regress.https://openworks.mdanderson.org/surgeryhist_interviewchapters/1006/thumbnail.jp