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Review
. 2022 Jul 6;20(1):301.
doi: 10.1186/s12967-022-03492-7.

Emerging role of human microbiome in cancer development and response to therapy: special focus on intestinal microflora

Hourieh Sadrekarimi  1 , Zhanna R Gardanova  2 , Morteza Bakhshesh  3 , Farnoosh Ebrahimzadeh  4 , Amirhossein Fakhre Yaseri  5 , Lakshmi Thangavelu  6 , Zahra Hasanpoor  7 , Firoozeh Abolhasani Zadeh  8 , Mohammad Saeed Kahrizi  9
Affiliations
Review

Emerging role of human microbiome in cancer development and response to therapy: special focus on intestinal microflora

Hourieh Sadrekarimi et al. J Transl Med. .

Abstract

In recent years, there has been a greater emphasis on the impact of microbial populations inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract on human health and disease. According to the involvement of microbiota in modulating physiological processes (such as immune system development, vitamins synthesis, pathogen displacement, and nutrient uptake), any alteration in its composition and diversity (i.e., dysbiosis) has been linked to a variety of pathologies, including cancer. In this bidirectional relationship, colonization with various bacterial species is correlated with a reduced or elevated risk of certain cancers. Notably, the gut microflora could potentially play a direct or indirect role in tumor initiation and progression by inducing chronic inflammation and producing toxins and metabolites. Therefore, identifying the bacterial species involved and their mechanism of action could be beneficial in preventing the onset of tumors or controlling their advancement. Likewise, the microbial community affects anti-cancer approaches' therapeutic potential and adverse effects (such as immunotherapy and chemotherapy). Hence, their efficiency should be evaluated in the context of the microbiome, underlining the importance of personalized medicine. In this review, we summarized the evidence revealing the microbiota's involvement in cancer and its mechanism. We also delineated how microbiota could predict colon carcinoma development or response to current treatments to improve clinical outcomes.

Keywords: Bacterial manipulation; Cancer development; Dysbiosis; Microbiome.

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Conflict of interest statement

There is no conflict of interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Gut microbiota contribution in cancer development through inflammation induction
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The underlying mechanisms behind the role of gut microbiota in preventing or facilitating tumor progress. Non-toxigenic Bacteroides fragilis (NTBF), Polysaccharide A (PSA), Short-chain fatty acids (SCFA), Serum amyloid A (SAA), Segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB), Cytotoxin-associated gene A (CagA)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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