Skip to main content

REVIEW article

Front. Oncol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 14 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2024.1429722

Effects of Intratumoral Microbiota on Tumorigenesis and Antitumor Immunity and Microbe-based Cancer Therapy

Provisionally accepted
Jingwei Zheng Jingwei Zheng Hao Chen Hao Chen *
  • Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Intratumoral microbiota (IM) has emerged as a significant component of the previously thought sterile tumor microenvironment (TME), exerting diverse functions in tumorigenesis and immune modulation. This review outlines the historical background, classification, and diversity of IM, elucidating its pivotal roles in oncogenicity, cancer development, and progression, alongside its influence on anti-tumor immunity. The signaling pathways through which IM impacts tumorigenesis and immunity, including reactive oxygen species (ROS), β-catenin, stimulator of interferon genes (STING), and other pathways (NF-κB, Toll-like receptor (TLR), complement, RhoA/ROCK, PKR-like ER kinase (PERK)), are discussed comprehensively. Furthermore, we briefly introduce the clinical implications of IM, emphasizing its potential as a target for novel cancer therapies, diagnostic biomarkers, and prognostic indicators. Notably, microbe-based therapeutic strategies such as fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT), probiotics regulation, bacteriotherapy, bacteriophage therapy, and oncolytic virotherapy are highlighted. These strategies hold promise for enhancing the efficacy of current cancer treatments and warrant further exploration in clinical settings.

    Keywords: intratumoral microbiota (IM), Tumor microenvironment (TME), fecal microbiome transplantation (FMT), Engineered bacteria, Bacteriophage, oncolytic virus

    Received: 08 May 2024; Accepted: 26 Aug 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Zheng and Chen. 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: Hao Chen, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Nanjing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.