Role of Fungal Infections in Carcinogenesis and Cancer Development; A Literature Review

Abstract

Cancer is a serious debilitating disease and one of the most common causes of death. In recent decades the high risk of various cancers enforced scientists to discover novel prevention and treatment methods to diminish the mortality of this terrifying disease. Accordingly, its prevention can be possible in near future. Based on epidemiological evidence, there is a clear link between pathogenic fungal infections and cancer development. This association is often seen in people with weakened immune systems such as the elderly and people with acquired immunodeficiency (AIDS). Carcinoma in these people is first seen chronically and then acutely. Although the different genetic and environmental risk factors are involved in carcinogenesis, one of the most important risk factors is fungal species and infections associating with cancers etiology. Now it is known that microbial infection is responsible for initiating 2.2 million new cancer cases. In this way, many recent studies have focused on investigating the role and mechanism of fungal infections in diverse cancers occurrence. This review provides a comprehensive framework of the latest clinical findings and the association of fungal infections with versatile cancers including esophageal, gastric, colorectal, lung, cervical, skin, and ovarian cancer.

Interplay between acetylation and ubiquitination of imitation switch chromatin remodeler Isw1 confers multidrug resistance in Cryptococcus neoformans

“…Additionally, fungal infection leads to substantial population declines in animals and amphibians, even threatening their extinction ( Fisher and Garner, 2020 ; Fisher et al, 2012 ; Scheele et al, 2019 ). Intriguingly, certain pathogenic fungi are linked with cancer development ( Hosseini et al, 2022 ; Narunsky-Haziza et al, 2022 ; Saftien et al, 2023 ). The World Health Organization has recently published the first-ever list of fungi posing threats to human health that lists Cryptococcus neoformans as one of four high-priority infection agents ( World Health Organization, 2022 ).…”