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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Microbiol.
Sec. Systems Microbiology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2025.1543507
Gut microbiome signature of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy in patients with rectal cancer
Provisionally accepted- First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
Background: Rectal cancer remains a leading cause of cancer-associated mortality, especially in advanced cases with limited treatment options.Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome may influence the therapeutic efficacy of neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy (CRT).Objective: This study aimed to explore the dynamic changes in gut microbiome composition and metabolic pathways in rectal cancer patients undergoing CRT. Methods: Paired fecal samples were collected from rectal cancer patients pre-and post-CRT. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and proteomics analysis were conducted to investigate microbial and metabolic alterations. Results: Significant microbiome shifts were observed, with Fusobacterium, Subdoligranulum, Prevotella, Alloprevotella, and Bacteroides enriched pre-CRT, while Streptococcus, Megamonas, Megasphaera, Escherichia-Shigella, and Olsenella dominated post-CRT. Metabolic analysis revealed up-regulated carbohydrate metabolism and down-regulated lipid and energy metabolism.Conclusion: These findings identify potential microbial biomarkers and metabolic pathways associated with CRT response, offering insights into personalized treatment strategies.
Keywords: rectal cancer, Neoadjuvant Chemoradiotherapy (CRT), gut microbiome, Proteomics, 16S rRNA sequencing
Received: 12 Dec 2024; Accepted: 04 Mar 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Duan, Ren, Jiang, Ding, Wang and Wang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Hongyan Wang, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
Fan Wang, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
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