Abstract
Oncolytic viruses (OVs) are replication competent viruses that preferentially infect and destroy cancer cells. While historic evidence of cancer regression following virus infection could be traced more than a century ago, the scientific investigation and knowledge of the mechanism of action of oncolytic viruses expanded in the last decades and culminated with the international approval of Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC), the first OV for patient cancer therapy. OVs capitalize on the large array of transformations of cancer cells to target, propagate and kill the cancer cell. This mechanism often stimulates a cytotoxic immune response against tumor antigens resulting in priming the immune system against cancer cells. However, there is large scientific consensus that a successful cancer therapy involves a combination of therapeutic platforms and OVs have shown promise in preclinical and clinical trials in combination with an array of chemotherapeutic agents and immune checkpoint inhibitors. Based on these results, oncolytic virotherapy has proved to be a promising targeted cancer therapy tool, but more studies are required to tailor a successful cancer treatment.