Human Gut Microbiome: A New Frontier in Cancer Diagnostics & Therapeutics

Abstract

The field of oncology is vast and ever-growing. The present cancer therapeutics is continually exhibiting various drawbacks, which opens the door for exploring better novel therapeutic techniques. One such emerging technique is the manipulation of gut microbiota to induce a positive curative effect in the body. The dynamic gut microbiota of our body houses an astonishing number of microorganisms, mainly bacteria. The balance of the gut microbiota is essential for good health as imbalances may result in dysbiosis leading to various diseases such as cancer. The gut microbiota can be manipulated by using prebiotics, probiotics, synbiotics, postbiotics, and antibiotics for better therapeutic outcomes, as well as to improve the quality of life of patients undergoing conventional cancer treatment. Administration of bacteria as a probiotic agent accompanied with prebiotics obtained from a wide variety of herbs has been used effectively to enhance the treatment of various cancers. Although the theoretical basis of Gut therapy can be ascertained, further clinical trials will be essential to determine the scope and limitations fully. The present review provides a glimpse of conventional and novel cancer therapeutics and their drawbacks, along with the role of the gut microbiome and its modulation to design new pharmaceutics against cancer.