Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39921821›Full record

ReviewMolecular biomedicine2025

Tumor microbiome: roles in tumor initiation, progression, and therapy.

Shengxin Zhang, Jing Huang, Zedong Jiang, Huan Tong, Xuelei Ma, Yang Liu

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in Molecular biomedicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Review
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Review
  7. Article
  8. Review
  9. Article
  10. Review
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Programming the tumor microenvironment through microbiome-driven mechanisms.Frontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2026
    Review
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Review
  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Shengxin Zhang *Department of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
Jing Huang *Department of Medical Ultrasound, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, 37 Guoxue Lane, Wuhou District, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
Zedong JiangDepartment of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
Huan TongDepartment of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China.
Xuelei MaDepartment of Biotherapy, Cancer Center and State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan Province, China. drmaxuelei@gmail.com.
Yang LiuDay Surgery Center, General Practice Medical Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041, P. R. China. liuyang@wchscu.cn.ORCID http://orcid.org/0009-0004-6339-4622

Funding

West China Hospital, Sichuan University 1.3.5 project for disciplines of excellence
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Over the past few years, the tumor microbiome is increasingly recognized for its multifaceted involvement in cancer initiation, progression, and metastasis. With the application of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid (16S rRNA) sequencing, the intratumoral microbiome, also referred to as tumor-intrinsic or tumor-resident microbiome, has also been found to play a significant role in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Understanding their complex functions is critical for identifying new therapeutic avenues and improving treatment outcomes. This review first summarizes the origins and composition of these microbial communities, emphasizing their adapted diversity across a diverse range of tumor types and stages. Moreover, we outline the general mechanisms by which specific microbes induce tumor initiation, including the activation of carcinogenic pathways, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, epigenetic modifications, and chronic inflammation. We further propose the tumor microbiome may evade immunity and promote angiogenesis to support tumor progression, while uncovering specific microbial influences on each step of the metastatic cascade, such as invasion, circulation, and seeding in secondary sites. Additionally, tumor microbiome is closely associated with drug resistance and influences therapeutic efficacy by modulating immune responses, drug metabolism, and apoptotic pathways. Furthermore, we explore innovative microbe-based therapeutic strategies, such as engineered bacteria, oncolytic virotherapy, and other modalities aimed at enhancing immunotherapeutic efficacy, paving the way for microbiome-centered cancer treatment frameworks.

Indexed as

CarcinogenesisMicrobiotaNeoplasmsAnimalsDisease ProgressionHumansTumor MicroenvironmentImmune modulationMicrobe-based therapeutic strategiesTumor initiation and progressionTumor microbiomeTumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID39921821
PMCPMC11807048

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.