Zhang Jinhe, You Zinan, Li Xinqiao, Hu Jinpeng, Li Jiamu, Jing Zhitao
Department of Neurosurgery, The First Hospital of China Medical University, Nanjing Street 155, Heping District, Shenyang, 110001, People's Republic of China.
Department of Neurosurgery, Liaoning Cancer Hospital and Institute, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, 110042, People's Republic of China.
J Transl Med. 2025 Aug 12;23(1):897. doi: 10.1186/s12967-025-06916-2.
Microorganisms are ubiquitous in the human body, including within tumor tissues. Recent studies have demonstrated that intratumoral microbiota serve as critical regulators of the tumor microenvironment (TME), promoting the progression of solid tumors (e.g., gastric, lung, and breast cancers). These microbes modulate immune factors (such as IFN-γ and TNF-α), thereby influencing the activation and infiltration of immune cells, including T cells and macrophage. Additionally, by reshaping the immune landscape, intratumoral microbiota can dysregulate immune checkpoint expression, ultimately affecting the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy. This review synthesizes the current understanding of the origins of intratumoral microbiota, their heterogeneity across cancer types, and their intricate roles in modulating immune responses and tumor metastasis. We further discuss innovative therapeutic strategies leveraging the intratumoral microbiota, including engineered bacteria, oncolytic viruses, and nanoparticles, and address existing challenges and potential future research directions. A deeper understanding of these microbial‒host interactions may open new avenues for precise microbiota-based cancer diagnostics and personalized immunotherapeutic strategies.
微生物在人体中无处不在，包括肿瘤组织内。最近的研究表明，肿瘤内微生物群是肿瘤微环境（TME）的关键调节因子，促进实体瘤（如胃癌、肺癌和乳腺癌）的进展。这些微生物调节免疫因子（如IFN-γ和TNF-α），从而影响免疫细胞（包括T细胞和巨噬细胞）的激活和浸润。此外，通过重塑免疫格局，肿瘤内微生物群可使免疫检查点表达失调，最终影响癌症免疫治疗的疗效。本综述综合了目前对肿瘤内微生物群起源、其在不同癌症类型中的异质性及其在调节免疫反应和肿瘤转移中的复杂作用的理解。我们进一步讨论了利用肿瘤内微生物群的创新治疗策略，包括工程菌、溶瘤病毒和纳米颗粒，并探讨了现有挑战和未来潜在的研究方向。对这些微生物-宿主相互作用的更深入理解可能为基于微生物群的精确癌症诊断和个性化免疫治疗策略开辟新途径。
