Understanding the role of the gut microbiome in gastrointestinal cancer: A review

Duygu Ağagündüz; Ermelinda Cocozza; Özge Cemali; Ayşe Derya Bayazıt; Maria Francesca Nanì; Ida Cerqua; Floriana Morgillo; Suna Karadeniz Saygılı; Roberto Berni Canani; Paola Amero; Raffaele Capasso

doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1130562

Understanding the role of the gut microbiome in gastrointestinal cancer: A review

Front Pharmacol. 2023 Jan 24:14:1130562. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1130562. eCollection 2023.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Gazi University, Emek, Ankara, Turkey.
² MERCK S.P.A., Rome, Italy.
³ Department of Pharmacy, University of Naples "Federico II", Naples, Italy.
⁴ Medical Oncology, Department of Precision Medicine, Università degli Studi della Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy.
⁵ Department of Experimental Therapeutics, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX, United States.
⁶ Department of Histology and Embryology, Kütahya Health Sciences University, Kütahya, Turkey.
⁷ Department of Translational Medical Science and ImmunoNutritionLab at CEINGE Biotechnologies Research Center and Task Force for Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy.
⁸ Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Portici, Italy.

Abstract

Gastrointestinal cancer represents one of the most diagnosed types of cancer. Cancer is a genetic and multifactorial disease, influenced by the host and environmental factors. It has been stated that 20% of cancer is caused by microorganisms such as Helicobacter pylori, hepatitis B and C virus, and human papillomavirus. In addition to these well-known microorganisms associated with cancer, it has been shown differences in the composition of the microbiota between healthy individuals and cancer patients. Some studies have suggested the existence of the selected microorganisms and their metabolites that can promote or inhibit tumorigenesis via some mechanisms. Recent findings have shown that gut microbiome and their metabolites can act as cancer promotors or inhibitors. It has been shown that gastrointestinal cancer can be caused by a dysregulation of the expression of non-coding RNA (ncRNA) through the gut microbiome. This review will summarize the latest reports regarding the relationship among gut microbiome, ncRNAs, and gastrointestinal cancer. The potential applications of diagnosing and cancer treatments will be discussed.

Keywords: diagnosis; gastrointestinal cancer; microbiome; non-coding RNAs; therapeutics.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The paper was funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.3-Call for tender No. 341 of 15 March 2022 of Italian Ministry of University and Research funded by the European Union—NextGenerationEU; Award Number: Project code PE00000003, Concession Decree No. 1550 of 11 October 2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP D93C22000890001, Project title “ON Foods-Research and innovation network on food and nutrition Sustainability, Safety and Security—Working ON Foods.