Cancer and the microbiota

Wendy S Garrett

doi:10.1126/science.aaa4972

Cancer and the microbiota

Science. 2015 Apr 3;348(6230):80-6. doi: 10.1126/science.aaa4972.

Author

Wendy S Garrett¹

Affiliation

¹ Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases and Department of Genetics and Complex Diseases, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA.

Abstract

A host's microbiota may increase, diminish, or have no effect at all on cancer susceptibility. Assigning causal roles in cancer to specific microbes and microbiotas, unraveling host-microbiota interactions with environmental factors in carcinogenesis, and exploiting such knowledge for cancer diagnosis and treatment are areas of intensive interest. This Review considers how microbes and the microbiota may amplify or mitigate carcinogenesis, responsiveness to cancer therapeutics, and cancer-associated complications.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Carcinogenesis / immunology*
Humans
Immunotherapy / methods
Microbiota / immunology*
Neoplasms / immunology*
Neoplasms / microbiology*
Neoplasms / therapy

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding