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Review
. 2016 Jul;9(4):594-605.
doi: 10.1177/1756283X16635082. Epub 2016 Mar 15.

The interplay between the microbiome and the adaptive immune response in cancer development

Edda Russo  1 , Antonio Taddei  2 , Maria Novella Ringressi  2 , Federica Ricci  1 , Amedeo Amedei  3
Affiliations
Review

The interplay between the microbiome and the adaptive immune response in cancer development

Edda Russo et al. Therap Adv Gastroenterol. 2016 Jul.

Abstract

The data from different studies suggest a bacterial role in cancer genesis/progression, often modulating the local immune response. This is particularly so at the mucosal level where the bacterial presence is strong and the immune system is highly reactive. The epithelial surfaces of the body, such as the skin and mucosa, are colonized by a vast number of microorganisms, which represent the so-called normal microbiome. Normally the microbiome does not cause a proinflammatory response because the immune system has developed different strategies for the tolerance of commensal bacteria, but when these mechanisms are impaired or new pathogenic bacteria are introduced into this balanced system, the immune system reacts to the microbiome and can trigger tumor growth in the intestine. In this review, we discuss the potential role of the bacterial microbiome in carcinogenesis, focusing on the direct and indirect immune adaptive mechanisms, that the bacteria can modulate in different ways.

Keywords: Th17; adaptive immune response; bacteria; colorectal cancer; microbiome.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest in preparing this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Different sorts of bacteria living in different places in and on the body.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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