Gut microbiome plays an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC) initiation, progression and response to different systemic therapies. On its turn, gut microbiome is influenced by host factors (race, sex, genetic predisposition, oxidative stress, metabolic and hormonal status, inflammation, infections, diet high in red meat, obesity, lifestyle, etc.) and environmental factors (geography, climate, stress, socio-economic status, education etc).
Therefore, the study of microbiome, correlated with other risk factors and health determinants could bring essential information for improving the current algorithms for CRC screening, early detection and prediction of the treatment outcome. Moreover, microbiome modulation could be used as an adjuvant to improve the CRC patients health, minimize systemic therapies adverse effects and ultimately, increase survival rates. However, the specific changes in gut microbiome and their roles in CRC cancer development and in the efficacy of therapeutic response needs to be comprehensively addressed from a clinically translational angle.
In order to improve the efficacy of cancer treatments and provide insights into the cause of treatment-related side effects we need extensive research on the association between host immunity and the microbiome. Accordingly, innovative diagnostics followed by evaluation of a patient’s microbial composition and function and its subsequent targeted modulation represent key elements of future multidisciplinary and precision-medicine approaches.
The aim of this Research topic is to enhance our understanding of how the gut microbiome, in combination with other host related and environmental factors, could contribute to the development of predictive, monitoring and prognostic biomarkers that could get us one step closer to the personalized medicine approach of CRC patients.
We encourage the submission of orginal research papers, reviews,minireviews, perspective, case reports and communications on the following themes:
- Host-microbiome interactions in cancer
- Modulation of themicrobiota as a predictive biomarker for disease and therapy
- Advances in the molecular diagnostic of cancer
- Fecal microbiota transfer in cancer
- Genetically engineering the gut microbiota
- Impact of the human microbiome in tumorigenesis and response to immunotherapy
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