Microorganisms in chemotherapy for pancreatic cancer: An overview of current research and future directions

Abstract

Pancreatic cancer is a malignant tumor of the digestive system with a very high mortality rate. While gemcitabine-based chemotherapy is the predominant treatment for terminal pancreatic cancer, its therapeutic effect is not satisfactory. Recently, many studies have found that microorganisms not only play a consequential role in the occurrence and progression of pancreatic cancer but also modulate the effect of chemotherapy to some extent. Moreover, microorganisms may become an important biomarker for predicting pancreatic carcinogenesis and detecting the prognosis of pancreatic cancer. However, the existing experimental literature is not sufficient or convincing. Therefore, further exploration and experiments are imperative to understanding the mechanism underlying the interaction between microorganisms and pancreatic cancer. In this review, we primarily summarize and discuss the influences of oncolytic viruses and bacteria on pancreatic cancer chemotherapy because these are the two types of microorganisms that are most often studied. We focus on some potential methods specific to these two types of microorganisms that can be used to improve the efficacy of chemotherapy in pancreatic cancer therapy.

The Impact of the Microbiome on Resistance to Cancer Treatment with Chemotherapeutic Agents and Immunotherapy

“…Elevated levels of oral pathogens Agregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans and Porphyromonas gingivalis , which may affect resistance to chemotherapy by expressing CDD, have also been observed in patients with pancreatic cancer [ 75 ]. This observation suggests the ability of bacteria from other tissues to affect the resistance to and efficacy of chemotherapy [ 76 ].…”

Therapeutic Efficacy of Oncolytic Viruses in Fighting Cancer: Recent Advances and Perspective

“…Regardless of their mechanism of action, chemotherapy medications affect all rapidly dividing cells, not just tumor cells. As a result, chemotherapy is frequently linked to high toxicity levels and serious adverse effects [113]. OVs have a higher level of tumor-specificity than chemotherapeutic medications because to both their natural preference for tumor cells and specificity-enhancing genetic changes.…”

Crosstalk between gut microbiota and renal ischemia/reperfusion injury

“…In recent years, more and more studies have found that intestinal flora is associated with renal IRI ( Ding et al., 2019 ). There are millions of microorganisms living in the human body ( Liu et al., 2021 ; Lu et al., 2021 ; Wang et al., 2021 ). These microorganisms are widely present in the skin ( Boxberger et al., 2021 ), gastrointestinal tract ( Chen et al., 2021 ), nasal cavity ( Bassis et al., 2014 ), oral cavity ( Blaustein et al., 2021 ) and reproductive tract.…”