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Microbiome and Cancer

Edited by:   Christopher Staley, University of Minnesota, USA (BMC Microbiology) 
                   Jacques Ravel, University of Maryland, USA (Microbiome)
                   Sean Devlin, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, USA (BMC Cancer)
                   

New Content Item

BMC CancerBMC Microbiology and Microbiome jointly present the ‘Microbiome and Cancer’ collection.

  1. Pulmonary tuberculosis is a chronic infectious disease of the respiratory system. It is still one of the leading causes of death from a single infectious disease, but it has been stuck in the study of a single...

    Authors: Xingshan Cai, Yang Luo, Yuanliang Zhang, Yuan Lin, Bitong Wu, Zhizhong Cao, Zuqiong Hu, Xingyi Wu and Shouyong Tan
    Citation: BMC Microbiology 2022 22:286
  2. Lynch Syndrome (LS) is an inherited cancer predisposition syndrome defined by pathogenic variants in the mismatch repair (MMR) or EPCAM genes. In the United Kingdom, people with LS are advised to undergo biennial...

    Authors: Anne Lincoln, Sally Benton, Carolyn Piggott, Bernard V. North, Jane Rigney, Caroline Young, Philip Quirke, Peter Sasieni and Kevin J. Monahan
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2022 22:1144
  3. Prostate cancer (PCa) is the second most common cancer in men worldwide. The standard non-surgical approach for localized PCa is radiotherapy (RT), but one of the limitations of high-dose RT is the potential i...

    Authors: Patrizia Gnagnarella, Giulia Marvaso, Barbara Alicja Jereczek-Fossa, Ottavio de Cobelli, Maria Claudia Simoncini, Luiz Felipe Nevola Teixeira, Annarita Sabbatini, Gabriella Pravettoni, Harriet Johansson, Luigi Nezi, Paolo Muto, Valentina Borzillo, Egidio Celentano, Anna Crispo, Monica Pinto, Ernesta Cavalcanti…
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2022 22:794
  4. Cancer patients experience gastrointestinal and behavioral symptoms, and are at increased risk of systemic infection and inflammation. These conditions are a major source of morbidity and decreased quality of ...

    Authors: Brett R. Loman, Kathryn L. G. Russart, Corena V. Grant, Alexis J. Lynch, Michael T. Bailey and Leah M. Pyter
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2022 22:245
  5. Cancer impacts millions of lives globally each year, with approximately 10 million cancer-related deaths recorded worldwide in 2020. Mounting research has recognised the human microbiome as a key area of inter...

    Authors: Claire M. Doocey, Karen Finn, Craig Murphy and Caitriona M. Guinane
    Citation: BMC Microbiology 2022 22:53
  6. The gut microbiome is implicated as a marker of response to  immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) based on preclinical mouse models and preliminary observations in limited patient series. Furthermore, early stud...

    Authors: Nicola A. Thompson, Grant D. Stewart, Sarah J. Welsh, Gary J. Doherty, Matthew J. Robinson, B. Anne Neville, Kevin Vervier, Simon R. Harris, David J. Adams, Katy Dalchau, David Bruce, Nikolaos Demiris, Trevor D. Lawley and Pippa G. Corrie
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2022 22:99
  7. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is still one of the most common types of cancer in the world, and the gut microbiome plays an important role in its development. The microbiome is involved in the carcinogenesis, format...

    Authors: Martina Rebersek
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2021 21:1325
  8. There is a growing level of interest in the potential role inflammation has on the initiation and progression of malignancy. Notable examples include Helicobacter pylori-mediated inflammation in gastric cancer an...

    Authors: Emily McIlvanna, Gerard J. Linden, Stephanie G. Craig, Fionnuala T. Lundy and Jacqueline A. James
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2021 21:1212
  9. Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is the major type of esophageal cancer in China. The role of the bacteria present in ESCC tissue in neoplastic progression has not been fully elucidated. This study ai...

    Authors: Zhen Li, Chao Shi, Jiawen Zheng, Yongjun Guo, Taibing Fan, Huan Zhao, Dongdong Jian, Xiaolei Cheng, Hao Tang and Jie Ma
    Citation: BMC Microbiology 2021 21:301
  10. Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening reduces CRC incidence and mortality. However, current screening methods are either hampered by invasiveness or suboptimal performance, limiting their effectiveness as primary ...

    Authors: Ane Sørlie Kværner, Einar Birkeland, Cecilie Bucher-Johannessen, Elina Vinberg, Jan Inge Nordby, Harri Kangas, Vahid Bemanian, Pekka Ellonen, Edoardo Botteri, Erik Natvig, Torbjørn Rognes, Eivind Hovig, Robert Lyle, Ole Herman Ambur, Willem M. de Vos, Scott Bultman…
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2021 21:930
  11. Colorectal cancer which is related to genetic and environmental risk factors, is among the most prevalent life-threatening cancers. Although several pathogenic bacteria are associated with colorectal cancer et...

    Authors: Sara Ebrahimzadeh, Hossein Ahangari, Alireza Soleimanian, Kamran Hosseini, Vida Ebrahimi, Tohid Ghasemnejad, Saiedeh Razi Soofiyani, Vahideh Tarhriz and Shirin Eyvazi
    Citation: BMC Microbiology 2021 21:218
  12. Though the gut microbiome has been associated with efficacy of immunotherapy (ICI) in certain cancers, similar findings have not been identified for microbiomes from other body sites and their correlation to t...

    Authors: Justin Chau, Meeta Yadav, Ben Liu, Muhammad Furqan, Qun Dai, Shailesh Shahi, Arnav Gupta, Keri Nace Mercer, Evan Eastman, Taher Abu Hejleh, Carlos Chan, George J. Weiner, Catherine Cherwin, Sonny T. M. Lee, Cuncong Zhong, Ashutosh Mangalam…
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2021 21:808
  13. Most NSCLCs metastasised out of the lungs at the time of diagnosis and cannot be surgically removed . Cytotoxic chemotherapy drugs have become the main treatment in recent decades, especially in patients with ...

    Authors: Qing Xia, Guojie Chen, Yanbei Ren, Tiansheng Zheng, Changxing Shen, Ming Li, Xiangyun Chen, Hong Zhai, Zhuang Li, Jianfang Xu, Aiqin Gu, Meiling Jin and Lihong Fan
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2021 21:721
  14. The gut microbiota influences many aspects of host physiology, including immune regulation, and is predictive of outcomes in cancer patients. However, whether conventional myelosuppressive chemotherapy affects...

    Authors: Lito E. Papanicolas, Sarah K. Sims, Steven L. Taylor, Sophie J. Miller, Christos S. Karapetis, Steve L. Wesselingh, David L. Gordon and Geraint B. Rogers
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2021 21:591
  15. Emerging evidence implicates the gut microbiome in liver inflammation and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development. We aimed to characterize the temporal evolution of gut dysbiosis, in relation to the phenot...

    Authors: J. Behary, A. E. Raposo, N. M. L. Amorim, H. Zheng, L. Gong, E. McGovern, J. Chen, K. Liu, J. Beretov, C. Theocharous, M. T. Jackson, J. Seet-Lee, G. W. McCaughan, E. M. El-Omar and A. Zekry
    Citation: BMC Microbiology 2021 21:113
  16. Triazole, polyene, and echinocandin antifungal agents are extensively used to treat invasive fungal infections (IFIs); however, the optimal prophylaxis option is not clear. This study aimed to determine the op...

    Authors: Huilan Zeng, Zhuman Wu, Bing Yu, Bo Wang, Chengnian Wu, Jie Wu, Jing Lai, Xiaoyan Gao and Jie Chen
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2021 21:404
  17. Composition and maintenance of the microbiome is vital to gut homeostasis. However, there is limited knowledge regarding the impact of high doses of radiation, which can occur as a result of cancer radiation t...

    Authors: Raj Kalkeri, Kevin Walters, William Van Der Pol, Braden C. McFarland, Nathan Fisher, Fusataka Koide, Casey D. Morrow and Vijay K. Singh
    Citation: BMC Microbiology 2021 21:93
  18. Increase in the number of infections caused by Gram-negative bacteria in neutropenic cancer patients has prompted the search for novel therapeutic agents having dual anticancer and antimicrobial properties. Ba...

    Authors: Preeti Sharma, Sumanpreet Kaur, Bhupinder Singh Chadha, Raminderjit Kaur, Manpreet Kaur and Sukhraj Kaur
    Citation: BMC Microbiology 2021 21:39
  19. Alteration in gut microbiota has been recently linked with childhood leukemia and the use of chemotherapy. Whether the perturbed microbiota community is restored after disease remission and cessation of cancer...

    Authors: Ling Ling Chua, Reena Rajasuriar, Yvonne Ai Lian Lim, Yin Ling Woo, P’ng Loke and Hany Ariffin
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2020 20:151
  20. The gut microbiota is an important modulator of immune, metabolic, psychological and cognitive mechanisms. Chemotherapy adversely affects the gut microbiota, inducing acute dysbiosis, and alters physiological ...

    Authors: Julie M. Deleemans, Faye Chleilat, Raylene A. Reimer, Jan-Willem Henning, Mohamad Baydoun, Katherine-Ann Piedalue, Andrew McLennan and Linda E. Carlson
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2019 19:1243
  21. Mouse and human studies support the promise of dry beans to improve metabolic health and to lower cancer risk. In overweight/obese patients with a history of colorectal polyps or cancer, the Beans to Enrich th...

    Authors: Xiaotao Zhang, Gladys Browman, Wesley Siu, Karen M. Basen-Engquist, Samir M. Hanash, Kristi L. Hoffman, Pablo C. Okhuysen, Paul Scheet, Joseph F. Petrosino, Scott Kopetz and Carrie R. Daniel
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2019 19:1233
  22. Breast cancer ranks first in women, and is the second cause of death in this gender. In addition to genetics, the environment contributes to the development of the disease, although the factors involved are no...

    Authors: Julio Plaza-Díaz, Ana I. Álvarez-Mercado, Carmen M Ruiz-Marín, Iris Reina-Pérez, Alejandro J. Pérez-Alonso, María Belén Sánchez-Andujar, Pablo Torné, Tania Gallart-Aragón, María Teresa Sánchez-Barrón, Saturnino Reyes Lartategui, Federico García, Natalia Chueca, Ana Moreno-Delgado, Katia Torres-Martínez, María José Sáez-Lara, Cándido Robles-Sánchez…
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2019 19:495
  23. A causal association has been suggested between certain bacteria and colorectal cancer (CRC). Only a few studies have, however, investigated the presence of these bacteria directly in colon tissue with conflic...

    Authors: Caspar Bundgaard-Nielsen, Ulrik T. Baandrup, Lars P. Nielsen and Suzette Sørensen
    Citation: BMC Cancer 2019 19:399

About the Collection

With microbiome research moving from a predominantly data-driven field towards understanding its contribution at a more mechanistic level, the impact of the microbiome on health and human disease has surfaced. At the same time, cancer research has diversified its approach with increasing emphasis for a multifaceted treatment model to ensure effective treatment towards a cure. As the intersection of the two fields, the role of the microbiome in cancer disease predisposition, risk, initiation, progression, diagnosis, prognosis and treatment is becoming increasingly apparent and a new focus of research. In recognition of this important and growing field of research, we hereby present a collection of primary research articles and reviews on the topic of ‘Microbiome and cancer’. 

Submissions broadly cover the following research areas: 

  • cancer microbiome, 
  • effect of the microbiome on cancer initiation, tumorigenesis and progression
  • microbiome-driven increased cancer risk or predisposition 
  • the evolving role of microbiome modulation products
  • microbiome-driven changes in the metabolic and physiologic states in the tumor microenvironment,
  • biology of cancers triggered by microbiome-driven immune modulations
  • metabolomics and metagenomic studies at the interface of microbiome and cancer
  • the microbiome as a biomarker
  • the effect of gut and tissue microbiomes on cancer therapy
  • the role of the cancer microbiome in therapy resistance

The collection was open to submissions from January 2021 up to May 2022.

Guest Editors

Christopher Staley

New Content ItemThe intestinal microbiota is a vital organ critical to the development, functioning, and health of the human the host. The Staley Lab at University of Minnesota research focus is to characterize how disruptions in this community affect the onset and progression of diseases and conditions e.g., obesity, colorectal cancer, and inflammatory bowel diseases. By applying microbial ecology principles and leveraging next-generation sequencing technologies, their goal is to develop targeted, microbiota-based therapies to improve patient outcomes. Chris is a Senior Board Member for BMC Microbiology.

Jacques Ravel

New Content ItemJacques Ravel is a Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Associate Director for Genomics at the Institute for Genome Sciences, University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD. His research program is focused on applying modern genomics technologies and ecological principles to characterize the role and dynamics of the microbial communities inhabiting the human body in health and disease and better define the interactions between the host, the microbes and the environment that drive these ecological systems.


Sean Devlin

New Content ItemSean Devlin is a Assistant Professor in Biostatistics as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre. His research interests are in the development of adaptive and nonparametric regression methods for cancer research. He was involved in developing a novel algorithm to refine and improve the discriminatory ability of an existing prognostic classifier by incorporating new genomic markers for censored survival data. His current research interests also include developing risk scores for high dimensional survival data when multiple markers may predict treatment response. Sean is a Senior Board Member for BMC Cancer