The bacterial microbiota of gastrointestinal cancers: Role in cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic perspectives

Abstract

The microbiota has an essential role in the pathogenesis of many gastrointestinal diseases including cancer. This effect is mediated through different mechanisms such as dama-ging DNA, activation of oncogenic pathways, production of carcinogenic metabolites, stimulation of chronic inflammation, and inhibition of antitumor immunity. Recently, the concept of “pharmacomicrobiomics” has emerged as a new field concerned with exploring the interplay between drugs and microbes. Mounting evidence indicates that the microbiota and their metabolites have a major impact on the pharmacodynamics and therapeutic responses toward antic-ancer drugs including conventional chemotherapy and molecular-targeted therapeutics. In addition, microbiota appears as an attractive target for cancer prevention and treatment. In this review, we discuss the role of bacterial microbiota in the pathogenesis of different cancer types affecting the gastrointestinal tract system. We also scrutinize the evidence regarding the role of microbiota in anticancer drug responses. Further, we discuss the use of probiotics, fecal micro-biota transplantation, and antibiotics, either alone or in combination with anticancer drugs for prevention and treatment of gastrointestinal tract cancers.