Title:Microbiome and Development of Ovarian Cancer
Volume: 22
Issue: 11
Author(s): Aditi Dhingra, Divyani Sharma, Anuj Kumar, Shalini Singh and Pramod Kumar*
Affiliation:
- Division of Molecular Biology, ICMR-National
Institute of Cancer Prevention and Research, Noida, UP, India
Keywords:
Ovarian cancer, microbiome, estrobolome, probiotics, gut microbiota, microbial dysbiosis.
Abstract: Cancer of the female reproductive system involves abnormal cell growth that can potentially
invade the peritoneal cavity resulting in malignancy and disease severity. Ovarian cancer
is the most common type of gynecological cancer, which often remains undiagnosed until the
later stages of the disease or until cancer has metastasized towards the peritoneum and omentum,
compelling it to be a deadly disease complicating the prognosis and therapeutics. Environmental,
genetics and microbial factors are the common mainsprings to the disease. Moreover, human
beings harbor rich microbial diversity in various organs (gut, respiratory tract, reproductive tract,
etc.) as a microbiome, crucially impacting health. Any dysbiosis in the microbial diversity or
richness of the reproductive tract and gut can contribute to preconditions to develop/progress
various diseases, including ovarian carcinoma. The microbiome may have a casual or associate
role in ovarian cancer development, with Proteobacteria being the most dominant taxa in cancer
patients and Firmicutes being the most dominant in a normal healthy adult female. A healthy
estrogen-gut axis has an essential role in estrogen metabolism and utilization. However, estrobolome
(Bacteriodete, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, and Proteobacteria) dysbiosis has an indirect
association with ovarian carcinoma. Microbes associated with sexually transmitted diseases also
impact the induction and progression of ovarian malignancies. Altogether, the microbes and their
metabolites are incidental to the risk of developing ovarian carcinoma.