Cancer Immunotherapy: Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Brings Light

Dual-targeted treatment for inflammatory bowel disease: Whether fecal microbiota transplantation can be an important part of it

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic gastrointestinal inflammatory disease. With the emergence of biologics and other therapeutic methods, two biologics or one biologic combined with a novel small-molecule drug has been proposed in recent years to treat IBD. Although treatment strategies for IBD are being optimized, their efficacy and risks still warrant further consideration. This editorial explores the current risks associated with dual-targeted treatment for IBD and the great potential that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may have for use in combination therapy for IBD. We are focused on addressing refractory IBD or biologically resistant IBD based on currently available dual-targeted treatment by incorporating FMT as part of this dual-targeted treatment. In this new therapy regimen, FMT represents a promising combination therapy.

Pharmacomicrobiomics in precision cancer therapy: bench to bedside

The burgeoning field of pharmacomicrobiomics offers promising insights into the intricate interplay between the microbiome and cancer, shaping responses to diverse treatment modalities. This review aims to analyze the molecular mechanisms underlying interactions between distinct microbiota types and cancer, as well as their influence on treatment outcomes. We explore how the microbiome impacts antitumor immunity, and response to chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapy, unveiling its multifaceted roles in cancer progression and therapy resistance. Moreover, we discuss the challenges hindering the development of microbiome-based interventions in cancer therapy, including standardization, validation, and clinical translation. By synthesizing clinical evidence, we underscore the transformative potential of harnessing pharmacomicrobiomics in guiding cancer treatment decisions, paving the way for improved patient outcomes in clinical practice.

Shaping the future of gastrointestinal cancers through metabolic interactions with host gut microbiota

Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers represent a significant global health challenge, driving relentless efforts to identify innovative diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Recent strides in microbiome research have unveiled a previously underestimated dimension of cancer progression that revolves around the intricate metabolic interplay between GI cancers and the host's gut microbiota. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview of these emerging metabolic interactions and their potential to catalyze a paradigm shift in precision diagnosis and therapeutic breakthroughs in GI cancers. The article underscores the groundbreaking impact of microbiome research on oncology by delving into the symbiotic connection between host metabolism and the gut microbiota. It offers valuable insights into tailoring treatment strategies to individual patients, thus moving beyond the traditional one-size-fits-all approach. This review also sheds light on novel diagnostic methodologies that could transform the early detection of GI cancers, potentially leading to more favorable patient outcomes. In conclusion, exploring the metabolic interactions between host gut microbiota and GI cancers showcases a promising frontier in the ongoing battle against these formidable diseases. By comprehending and harnessing the microbiome's influence, the future of precision diagnosis and therapeutic innovation for GI cancers appears more optimistic, opening doors to tailored treatments and enhanced diagnostic precision.

Nutrition Intervention and Microbiome Modulation in the Management of Breast Cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is one of the most common cancers worldwide and a leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. The escalating incidence of BC underscores the necessity of multi-level treatment. BC is a complex and heterogeneous disease involving many genetic, lifestyle, and environmental factors. Growing evidence suggests that nutrition intervention is an evolving effective prevention and treatment strategy for BC. In addition, the human microbiota, particularly the gut microbiota, is now widely recognized as a significant player contributing to health or disease status. It is also associated with the risk and development of BC. This review will focus on nutrition intervention in BC, including dietary patterns, bioactive compounds, and nutrients that affect BC prevention and therapeutic responses in both animal and human studies. Additionally, this paper examines the impacts of these nutrition interventions on modulating the composition and functionality of the gut microbiome, highlighting the microbiome-mediated mechanisms in BC. The combination treatment of nutrition factors and microbes is also discussed. Insights from this review paper emphasize the necessity of comprehensive BC management that focuses on the nutrition-microbiome axis.

Immunotherapy for renal cell carcinoma: New therapeutic combinations and adverse event management strategies: A review

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) combinations, as well as ICIs combined with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, have considerable potential for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) treatment. Newer targeted medications, gut microbiome, nanomedicines, and cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) inhibitors demonstrate significant potential in preventing side effects and resistance associated with RCC treatment. Most patients, including those demonstrating long-term treatment effects, eventually demonstrate cancer progression. Nevertheless, recent studies have further revealed RCC pathogenesis and many acquired drug resistance mechanisms, which together have led to the identification of promising therapeutic targets. In addition to having roles in metabolism, immunogenicity, and the immune response to tumors, CDK4 and CDK6 regulate the cell cycle. Targeting CDK4 and CDK6, either separately or in combination with already approved treatments, may improve therapeutic outcomes in patients with kidney cancer. Other novel drugs, including pegylated interleukin 10, colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor inhibitors, CD40 agonists, and C-X-C receptor 4 inhibitors affect the tumor microenvironment and cancer cell metabolism. Moreover, a triple ICI combination has been noted to be efficacious. In general, compared with sunitinib as a single-drug treatment, newer ICI combinations improve overall survival in patients with RCC. Future research on the prevention of adverse events and medication resistance related to newer therapies may aid in ensuring effective treatment outcomes among patients with RCC. This article aims to summarize innovative immunotherapy drug combinations for RCC treatment and the mechanisms of action, drug resistance, and treatment of adverse events associated with these combinations.

Predictors of response to immunotherapy in colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major cause of cancer-related deaths globally. While treatment advancements have improved survival rates, primarily through targeted therapies based on KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF mutations, personalized treatment strategies for CRC remain limited. Immunotherapy, mainly immune checkpoint blockade, has shown efficacy in various cancers but is effective in only a small subset of patients with CRC with deficient mismatch repair (dMMR) proteins or high microsatellite instability (MSI). Recent research has challenged the notion that CRC is immunologically inert, revealing subsets with high immunogenicity and diverse lymphocytic infiltration. Identifying precise biomarkers beyond dMMR and MSI is crucial to expanding immunotherapy benefits. Hence, exploration has extended to various biomarker sources, such as the tumor microenvironment, genomic markers, and gut microbiota. Recent studies have introduced a novel classification system, consensus molecular subtypes, that aids in identifying patients with CRC with an immunogenic profile. These findings underscore the necessity of moving beyond single biomarkers and toward a comprehensive understanding of the immunological landscape in CRC, facilitating the development of more effective, personalized therapies.

Microbiome and lung cancer: carcinogenic mechanisms, early cancer diagnosis, and promising microbial therapies

Microbiomes in the lung, gut, and oral cavity are correlated with lung cancer initiation and progression. While correlations have been preliminarily established in earlier studies, delving into microbe-mediated carcinogenic mechanisms will extend our understanding from correlation to causation. Building upon the causative relationships between microbiome and lung cancer, a novel concept of microbial biomarkers has emerged, mainly encompassing cancer-specific bacteria and circulating microbiome DNA. They might function as noninvasive liquid biopsy techniques for lung cancer early detection. Furthermore, potential microbial therapies have displayed initial efficacy in lung cancer treatment, providing multiple avenues for therapeutic intervention. Herein, we will discuss the molecular mechanisms and signaling pathways through which microbes influence lung cancer initiation and development. Additionally, we will summarize recent findings on microbial biomarkers as a member of tumor liquid biopsy techniques and provide an overview of the latest advances in various microbe-assisted/mediated therapeutic approaches for lung cancer.

Progress in understanding of relationship between intestinal microecology and pancreatic cancer

In recent years, the association between the gut microbiota (GM) and pancreatic cancer (PC) has attracted extensive attention. Studies have shown that the oral, intestinal, and pancreatic microbiota of PC patients is different from that of healthy people, showing different characteristics. On this basis, the application of characteristic GM and its metabolites as biomarkers for early diagnosis and prognosis evaluation of PC holds great potential. Intestinal microecological therapy targeting the GM, such as probiotics and fecal microbiota transplantation, may affect the response to chemotherapy and immunotherapy by remodeling the tumor microenvironment, to improve the prognosis. In this paper, we review the role of the GM in PC development, early diagnosis, prognosis assessment, and treatment.

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of the Tumor Stroma in Colorectal Cancer: Insights into Disease Progression and Therapeutic Targets

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a major health burden worldwide and is the third most common type of cancer. The early detection and diagnosis of CRC is critical to improve patient outcomes. This review explores the intricate interplay between the tumor microenvironment, stromal interactions, and the progression and metastasis of colorectal cancer. The review begins by assessing the gut microbiome's influence on CRC development, emphasizing its association with gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). The role of the Wnt signaling pathway in CRC tumor stroma is scrutinized, elucidating its impact on disease progression. Tumor budding, its effect on tumor stroma, and the implications for patient prognosis are investigated. The review also identifies conserved oncogenic signatures (COS) within CRC stroma and explores their potential as therapeutic targets. Lastly, the seed and soil hypothesis is employed to contextualize metastasis, accentuating the significance of both tumor cells and the surrounding stroma in metastatic propensity. This review highlights the intricate interdependence between CRC cells and their microenvironment, providing valuable insights into prospective therapeutic approaches targeting tumor-stroma interactions.

Molecular Ensembles of Microbiotic Metabolites in Carcinogenesis

The mechanisms of carcinogenesis are extremely complex and involve multiple components that contribute to the malignant cell transformation, tumor growth, and metastasis. In recent decades, there has been a growing interest in the role of symbiotic human microbiota in the regulation of metabolism and functioning of host immune system. The symbiosis between a macroorganism and its microbiota has given rise to the concept of a holoorganism. Interactions between the components of a holoorganism have formed in the process of coevolution, resulting in the acquisition by microbiotic metabolites of a special role of signaling molecules and main regulators of molecular interactions in the holoorganism. As elements of signaling pathways in the host organism, bacterial metabolites have become essential participants in various physiological and pathological processes, including tumor growth. At the same time, signaling metabolites often exhibit multiple effects and impact both the functions of the host cells and metabolic activity and composition of the microbiome. This review discusses the role of microbiotic metabolites in the induction and prevention of malignant transformation of cells in the host organism and their impact on the efficacy of anticancer therapy, with special emphasis on the involvement of some components of the microbial metabolite molecular ensemble in the initiation and progression of tumor growth.

Potential role of gut microbes in the efficacy and toxicity of immune checkpoints inhibitors

In recent years, Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been extensively used in the treatment of a variety of cancers. However, the response rates ranging from 13% to 69% depending on the tumor type and the emergence of immune-related adverse events have posed significant challenges for clinical treatment. As a key environmental factor, gut microbes have a variety of important physiological functions such as regulating intestinal nutrient metabolism, promoting intestinal mucosal renewal, and maintaining intestinal mucosal immune activity. A growing number of studies have revealed that gut microbes further influence the anticancer effects of tumor patients through modulation of the efficacy and toxicity of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Currently, faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) have been developed relatively mature and suggested as an important regulator in order to enhance the efficacy of treatment. This review is dedicated to exploring the impact of differences in flora composition on the efficacy and toxicity of immune checkpoint inhibitors as well as to summarizing the current progress of FMT.