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Cancers
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Microbiome in Cancer: When the Poison Is the Cure
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Microbiome in Cancer: When the Poison Is the Cure

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 14624

Special Issue Editor

Dr. M. Canan Arkan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Tumor Biology and Experimental Therapy, Georg-Speyer-Haus, 60596 Frankfurt, Germany
Interests: obesity; diet; microbiota; metabolism; cancer; therapy

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

From digestion to absorption, metabolism to immune homeostasis, the microbiome (i.e., the complex community of bacteria, fungi, archaea and viruses in the gut) plays a decisive role in determining health. The plasticity of the ecosystem is critical and has been implicated in cancer or resistance to therapy. Thus, potential applications of the microbiome in precision medicine are rapidly emerging as evidence accumulates that it may serve as a predictive biomarker for cancer and for the evaluation of treatment efficacy.

Colonization of the gut takes place during delivery and continues throughout early life. Upon colonization, maturation of the microbiome is crucial for the evolution of intra/intermicrobial interactions, and for host immunity and immunological memory against continuous and numerous exposures to dietary and environmental antigens. Therefore, manipulation of the microbiome axis provides a tool not only for understanding the development of microbial communities under homeostasis, but also for preventing disease or boosting therapy.

Current strategies for microbiome-based modulation involve probiotics/prebiotics use, fecal microbiota transfer, and dietary interventions. The future holds great promise for extending this knowledge into therapeutic interventions for cancer, as functional mapping of bacterial genomes and genetically engineering the gut microbiome is on the way.

This Special Issue of Cancers aims to highlight the open perspectives for microbiome research in cancer and explore exciting avenues for modulating microbiota as a predictive biomarker for disease and therapy.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the evolution of gut microbes, bioinformatic tools to model host–microbiome interactions, diet as a potent environmental factor that shapes microbial communities, nutrition-based interventions, dysbiosis-linked deranged metabolism, and immunity during cancer or treatment, which together span a broad spectrum of microbiota research but culminate in one common question—that is, is targeting host–microbiome interactions feasible, and will it increase therapy response in cancer?

I look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. M. Canan Arkan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cancers is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • gut microbiota
  • evolution
  • metabolites
  • bioinformatic tools
  • diet
  • cancer
  • therapy
  • FMT
  • next-generation probiotics
  • prebiotics
  • drugs

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 2731 KiB  
Article
Distinct Signatures of Tumor-Associated Microbiota and Metabolome in Low-Grade vs. High-Grade Dysplastic Colon Polyps: Inference of Their Role in Tumor Initiation and Progression
by Michela Giulia Clavenna, Marta La Vecchia, Marika Sculco, Soni Joseph, Elettra Barberis, Elia Amede, Marta Mellai, Silvia Brossa, Giulia Borgonovi, Pietro Occhipinti, Renzo Boldorini, Elisa Robotti, Barbara Azzimonti, Elisa Bona, Edoardo Pasolli, Daniela Ferrante, Marcello Manfredi, Anna Aspesi and Irma Dianzani
Cancers 2023, 15(12), 3065; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers15123065 - 6 Jun 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2644
Abstract
According to the driver–passenger model for colorectal cancer (CRC), the tumor-associated microbiota is a dynamic ecosystem of bacterial species where bacteria with carcinogenic features linked to CRC initiation are defined as “drivers”, while opportunistic bacteria colonizing more advanced tumor stages are known as [...] Read more.
According to the driver–passenger model for colorectal cancer (CRC), the tumor-associated microbiota is a dynamic ecosystem of bacterial species where bacteria with carcinogenic features linked to CRC initiation are defined as “drivers”, while opportunistic bacteria colonizing more advanced tumor stages are known as “passengers”. We reasoned that also gut microbiota-associated metabolites may be differentially enriched according to tumor stage, and be potential determinants of CRC development. Thus, we characterized the mucosa- and lumen-associated microbiota (MAM and LAM, respectively) and mucosa-associated metabolites in low- vs. high-grade dysplastic colon polyps from 78 patients. We show that MAM, obtained with a new biopsy-preserving approach, and LAM differ in composition and α/β-diversity. By stratifying patients for polyp histology, we found that bacteria proposed as passengers by previous studies colonized high-grade dysplastic adenomas, whereas driver taxa were enriched in low-grade polyps. Furthermore, we report altered “mucosa-associated metabolite” levels in low- vs. high-grade groups. Integrated microbiota-metabolome analysis suggests the involvement of the gut microbiota in the production and consumption of these metabolites. Altogether, our findings support the involvement of bacterial species and associated metabolites in CRC mucosal homeostasis in a tumor-stage-specific manner. These distinct signatures may be used to distinguish low-grade from high-grade dysplastic polyps. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome in Cancer: When the Poison Is the Cure)
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16 pages, 2453 KiB  
Article
A Pilot Study: Favorable Effects of Clostridium butyricum on Intestinal Microbiota for Adjuvant Therapy of Lung Cancer
by Jing Cong, Chuantao Zhang, Siyu Zhou, Jingjuan Zhu and Chengwei Liang
Cancers 2022, 14(15), 3599; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14153599 - 23 Jul 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3092
Abstract
Probiotics as medications have previously been shown to change intestinal microbial characteristics, potentially influencing cancer therapy efficacy. Patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NS-NSCLC) treated by bevacizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy were randomized to obtain Clostridium butyricum supplement (CBS) or receive a placebo [...] Read more.
Probiotics as medications have previously been shown to change intestinal microbial characteristics, potentially influencing cancer therapy efficacy. Patients with non-squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NS-NSCLC) treated by bevacizumab plus platinum-based chemotherapy were randomized to obtain Clostridium butyricum supplement (CBS) or receive a placebo as adjuvant therapy. Clinical efficacy and safety were assessed using progression-free survival (PFS), overall survival (OS), and adverse events (AE). Intestinal microbiota was longitudinally explored between CBS and placebo groups over time. Patients who took CBS had significantly decreased bacterial richness and abundance, as well as increased the total richness of the genus Clostridium, Bifidobacterium, and Lactobacillus compared to the placebo group (p < 0.05). Beta diversity and the interactional network of intestinal microbiota were distinctly different between CBS and placebo group. However, there were no significant variations between them in terms of microbial taxonomical taxa and alpha diversity. The potential opportunistic pathogen Shewanella was still detectable after treatment in the placebo group, while no distinguishing microbial markers were found in the CBS group. In terms of clinical efficacy, the CBS group had a significantly reduced AE compare to the placebo group (p < 0.05), although no significantly longer PFS and OS. Therefore, favorable modifications in intestinal microbiota and significant improvements in drug safety make probiotics be promising adjunctive therapeutic avenues for lung cancer treatment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome in Cancer: When the Poison Is the Cure)
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12 pages, 2135 KiB  
Article
Febrile Neutropenia Duration Is Associated with the Severity of Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis in Pediatric Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Recipients
by Riccardo Masetti, Federica D’Amico, Daniele Zama, Davide Leardini, Edoardo Muratore, Marek Ussowicz, Jowita Fraczkiewicz, Simone Cesaro, Giulia Caddeo, Vincenza Pezzella, Tamara Belotti, Francesca Gottardi, Piero Tartari, Patrizia Brigidi, Silvia Turroni and Arcangelo Prete
Cancers 2022, 14(8), 1932; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14081932 - 12 Apr 2022
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 3423
Abstract
Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a common complication in pediatric patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Frequently, a precise cause cannot be identified, and many factors can contribute to its genesis. Gut microbiota (GM) has been recently linked to many transplant-related complications, [...] Read more.
Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a common complication in pediatric patients receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Frequently, a precise cause cannot be identified, and many factors can contribute to its genesis. Gut microbiota (GM) has been recently linked to many transplant-related complications, and may also play a role in the pathogenesis of FN. Here, we conducted a longitudinal study in pediatric patients receiving HSCT from three centers in Europe profiling their GM during the transplant course, particularly at FN onset. We found that a more stable GM configuration over time is associated with a shorter duration of fever. Moreover, patients with longer lasting fever exhibited higher pre-HSCT levels of Collinsella, Megasphaera, Prevotella and Roseburia and increased proportions of Eggerthella and Akkermansia at the engraftment. These results suggest a possible association of the GM with the genesis and course of FN. Data seem consistent with previous reports on the relationship of a so-called “healthy” GM and the reduction of transplant complications. To our knowledge, this is the first report in the pediatric HSCT setting. Future studies are warranted to define the underling biological mechanisms and possible clinical implications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome in Cancer: When the Poison Is the Cure)
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Review

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21 pages, 3886 KiB  
Review
Microbiota and the Immune System—Actors in the Gastric Cancer Story
by Marek Majewski, Paulina Mertowska, Sebastian Mertowski, Konrad Smolak, Ewelina Grywalska and Kamil Torres
Cancers 2022, 14(15), 3832; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers14153832 - 8 Aug 2022
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4237
Abstract
Gastric cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world, with a relatively high mortality rate. Due to the heterogeneous course of the disease, its diagnosis and treatment are limited and difficult, and it is associated with a reduced prognosis [...] Read more.
Gastric cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world, with a relatively high mortality rate. Due to the heterogeneous course of the disease, its diagnosis and treatment are limited and difficult, and it is associated with a reduced prognosis for patients. That is why it is so important to understand the mechanisms underlying the development and progression of this cancer, with particular emphasis on the role of risk factors. According to the literature data, risk factors include: changes in the composition of the stomach and intestinal microbiota (microbiological dysbiosis and the participation of Helicobacter pylori), improper diet, environmental and genetic factors, and disorders of the body’s immune homeostasis. Therefore, the aim of this review is to systematize the knowledge on the influence of human microbiota dysbiosis on the development and progression of gastric cancer, with particular emphasis on the role of the immune system in this process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microbiome in Cancer: When the Poison Is the Cure)
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