Colorectal cancer: risk factors and potential of dietary probiotics in its prevention

Abstract

Cancer is the leading cause of human death worldwide. In spite of medical advancements, cancer cases are rising globally where Colorectal Cancer (CRC) frequency is third in position in males and second in females. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a disease where abnormal growth of cells occurs in the colon and rectal area of the alimentary canal. Factors like food habits, smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity, gut dysbiosis, etc. increase CRC risk. The CRC patients suffer not only from painful surgical treatments but also bear the side effects of palliative radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and therapeutic drugs used for the same. Dietary probiotics have great potential in the prevention and management of CRC due to their anticancer properties. The present review discusses the various risk factors of colorectal cancer and important role of probiotic supplements to prevent it. It highlights some of the proposed mechanisms of probiotics for their protective role against CRC. The prevention through modifiable risk factors and probiotic dietary supplements can save the patients from the trauma of the disease. Probiotics regulate gut dysbiosis and prevent CRC through different mechanisms, so more research work and clinical trials in humans with respect to it are expected in the future.