Modulation of the Gut Microbiome to Improve Clinical Outcomes in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Cancers

Amany Zekry¹  Rachel Kim¹  Jason Behary¹  Sj Shen¹  Saroj Khatiwada¹ 

[1] Microbiome Research Centre, St George and Sutherland Clinical Campus, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia;

关键词: microbiota;    hepatocellular carcinoma;    gut–liver axis;    immune response;    immunotherapy;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cancers14092099

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide. Recently, the gut microbiota has been shown to be closely linked to modulation of the immune and inflammatory responses, hence its potential as a therapeutic target. Although still under intense investigation, there exists a ‘gut–liver axis’ that links changes in the gut to the liver. In this regard, composition of gut microbiota and related metabolites, such as bile acids and short-chain fatty acids, have been shown to orchestrate key immune–metabolic events in liver disease and liver cancer. As hepatic immune cells are important determinants of antitumor responses, it is now increasingly recognized that the gut–liver axis plays a key role in influencing the intrahepatic immune response in HCC to favor a pro- or antitumor immune milieu. Hence, modulation of gut microbiota is potentially an attractive option to reinvigorate the antitumor responses. In this regard, promising evidence from melanoma preclinical and clinical studies has demonstrated the efficacy of gut-based intervention in reinvigorating the antitumor responses and improving responses to immunotherapy. However, the role of gut-based interventions as a therapeutic option in HCC remains to be elucidated. This review details how the gut microbiota and bacterial metabolites affect gut barrier function and ultimately immune response in HCC and raises the question of the potential of gut-based interventions as an adjunct therapy for patients with HCC receiving immunotherapy.

【 授权许可】

Unknown