Current prostate cancer treatment, especially hormone refractory cancer, may create profound iatrogenic outcomes because of the\nadverse effects of cytotoxic agents. Suicide gene therapy has been investigated for the substitutemodality for current chemotherapy\nbecause it enables the treatment targeting the cancer cells. However the classic suicide gene therapy has several profound side\neffects, including immune-compromised due to viral vector. Recently, stem cells have been regarded as a new upgraded cellular\nvehicle or vector because of its homing effects. Suicide gene therapy using genetically engineered mesenchymal stem cells or neural\nstem cells has the advantage of being safe, because prodrug administration not only eliminates tumor cells but consequently kills\nthemore resistant therapeutic stem cells as well.The attractiveness of prodrug cancer gene therapy by stem cells targeted to tumors\nlies in activating the prodrug directly within the tumor mass, thus avoiding systemic toxicity. Therapeutic achievements using\nstem cells in prostate cancer include the cytosine deaminase/5-fluorocytosine prodrug system, herpes simplex virus thymidine\nkinase/ganciclovir, carboxyl esterase/CPT11, and interferon-beta. The aimof this study is to review the stem cell therapy in prostate\ncancer including its proven mechanisms and also limitations.
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