Gut microbiota alteration - Cancer relationships and synbiotic roles in cancer therapies
Adekunle Babajide Rowaiye, Gordon C. Ibeanu, Doofan Bur, Sandra Nnadi, Odinaka E. Mgbeke, Ugonna Chinwe Morikwe
Abstract
Cancer poses a significant global health challenge, with 10 million deaths and 19.3 million new cases reported annually. This review aims to investigate the emerging field of synbiotics and their potential to enhance the effectiveness of cancer therapies. By conducting a thorough analysis of preclinical and clinical studies, this review clarifies the various mechanisms through which synbiotics improve the efficacy of conventional cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy. A search of literature on the anti-cancer efficacy of synbiotics was performed using the PubMed database and Google Scholar search engine to find important original research and review publications. A selection, analysis, and discussion of related English-language papers were conducted. This review unravels the intricate connections between microbiota and cancer therapeutics, harnessing the power of synbiotics as a promising strategy to improve treatment outcomes and elevate the standard of care in oncology. Further research is required to establish the efficacy and long-term safety of synbiotics, the right ideal prebiotic-probiotic combinations, and the distinct microbiota signatures of different cancer types for the development of future synbiotics.