The Gut Microbiome, Microsatellite Status and the Response to Immunotherapy in Colorectal Cancer.
Abstract
There is increasing evidence in a range of cancer types that the microbiome plays a direct role in modulating the anti-cancer immune response both at the gut level and systemically. Differences in the gut microbiota have been shown to correlate with differences in immunotherapy responses in a range of non-gastrointestinal tract cancers. DNA mismatch repair-deficient (dMMR) colorectal cancer (CRC) is radically different to DNA mismatch repair-proficient (pMMR) CRC in clinical phenotype and in its very good responses to immunotherapy. While this has usually been thought to be due to the high mutational burden in dMMR CRC, the gut microbiome is radically different in dMMR and pMMR CRC in terms of both composition and diversity. It is probable that differences in the gut microbiota contribute to the varied responses to immunotherapy in dMMR versus pMMR CRC. Targeting the microbiome offers a way to boost the response and increase the selection of patients who might benefit from this therapy. This paper reviews the available literature on the role of the microbiome in the response to immunotherapy in dMMR and pMMR CRC, explores the potential causal relationship and discusses future directions for study in this exciting and rapidly changing field.
Author
Citations
Altmetric:
Date
17/03/2023
Type
Article
Subject
Gastroenterology
Collections
Citation
Sillo TO, Beggs AD, Middleton G, Akingboye A. The Gut Microbiome, Microsatellite Status and the Response to Immunotherapy in Colorectal Cancer. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Mar 17;24(6):5767. doi: 10.3390/ijms24065767. PMID: 36982838; PMCID: PMC10054450.
Journal / Source Title
International Journal of Molecular Sciences
DOI
10.3390/ijms24065767
PMID
36982838
Publisher
MDPI