The Clinical Link between Human Intestinal Microbiota and Systemic Cancer Therapy.

Romy Aarnoutse,Marjolein L Smidt,Sander S Rensen,Janine Ziemons,Judith De Vos-Geelen,John Penders

doi:10.3390/ijms20174145

Romy Aarnoutse, Marjolein L Smidt + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms20174145

Copy DOI

Abstract

Clinical interest in the human intestinal microbiota has increased considerably. However, an overview of clinical studies investigating the link between the human intestinal microbiota and systemic cancer therapy is lacking. This systematic review summarizes all clinical studies describing the association between baseline intestinal microbiota and systemic cancer therapy outcome as well as therapy-related changes in intestinal microbiota composition. A systematic literature search was performed and provided 23 articles. There were strong indications for a close association between the intestinal microbiota and outcome of immunotherapy. Furthermore, the development of chemotherapy-induced infectious complications seemed to be associated with the baseline microbiota profile. Both chemotherapy and immunotherapy induced drastic changes in gut microbiota composition with possible consequences for treatment efficacy. Evidence in the field of hormonal therapy was very limited. Large heterogeneity concerning study design, study population, and methods used for analysis limited comparability and generalization of results. For the future, longitudinal studies investigating the predictive ability of baseline intestinal microbiota concerning treatment outcome and complications as well as the potential use of microbiota-modulating strategies in cancer patients are required. More knowledge in this field is likely to be of clinical benefit since modulation of the microbiota might support cancer therapy in the future.

Highlights

The human microbiota is the collection of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotic microorganisms that live in and on the human gastrointestinal tract, mucosae, and skin
Awareness of the interaction between the human intestinal microbiota and systemic cancer therapy is increasing and results gained in this field of research potentially have considerable clinical implications
This review provided a detailed overview about all clinical studies describing the association between baseline intestinal microbiota and systemic cancer therapy as well as the influence of systemic cancer therapy on gut microbiota composition

Summary

Introduction

The human microbiota is the collection of bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotic microorganisms that live in and on the human gastrointestinal tract, mucosae, and skin. The microbiome is the collective genome of the microbiota and encodes approximately 100-fold more genes than the human genome itself [1]. The majority of the microbiota resides in the gastrointestinal tract and belongs to the ‘intestinal microbiota’ or ‘gut microbiota’.

Methods

Results

Conclusion