Center for Stem Cell and Translational Immunotherapy (CSTI), Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Department of Neurosurgery, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
JAMA Oncol. 2022 Jul 1;8(7):1059-1067. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.0494.
The gut microbiome, home to the vast kingdom of diverse commensal bacteria and other microorganisms residing within the gut, was once thought to only have roles primarily centered on digestive functions. However, recent advances in sequencing technology have elucidated intricate roles of the gut microbiome in cancer development and efficacy of therapeutic response that need to be comprehensively addressed from a clinically translational angle.
This review aims to highlight the current understanding of the association of the gut microbiome with the therapeutic response to immunotherapy, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, cancer surgery, and more, while also contextualizing possible synergistic strategies with the microbiome for tackling some of the most challenging tumors. It also provides insights on contemporary methods that target the microbiota and the current progression of findings being translated from bench to bedside.
Ultimately, the importance of gut bacteria in cancer therapy cannot be overstated in its potential for ushering in a new era of cancer treatments. With the understanding that the microbiome may play critical roles in the tumor microenvironment, holistic approaches that integrate microbiome-modulating treatments with biological, immune, cell-based, and surgical cancer therapies should be explored.
肠道微生物组，即寄居在肠道内的大量共生细菌和其他微生物的家园，曾经被认为主要只具有消化功能。然而，测序技术的最新进展阐明了肠道微生物组在癌症发展和治疗反应效果中的复杂作用，需要从临床转化的角度全面解决这些问题。
本综述旨在强调目前对肠道微生物组与免疫疗法、化学疗法、放射疗法、癌症手术等治疗反应的关联的理解，同时还将肠道微生物组与一些最具挑战性的肿瘤的协同策略置于上下文中。它还提供了有关靶向微生物组的当代方法以及从实验室到临床的研究进展的最新见解。
最终，肠道细菌在癌症治疗中的重要性在于它可能开创癌症治疗的新时代。由于了解到微生物组可能在肿瘤微环境中发挥关键作用，因此应该探索将调节微生物组的治疗方法与生物、免疫、基于细胞和手术癌症治疗相结合的整体方法。
