REVIEW article
Front. Cell Dev. Biol.
Sec. Cancer Cell Biology
This article is part of the Research TopicInnovative Approaches to Combat Tumorigenesis and Drug Resistance: From Molecular Insights to Therapeutic AdvancementsView all 9 articles
The Role of Gut Microbiota and its metabolites in Preventing Oncogenesis
Provisionally accepted
- 1Department of Plastic and Burn Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- 2Sichuan University West China School of Medicine, Chengdu, China
- 3Department of Neonatology, West China Second University Hospital of Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
- 4Department of General Surgery and Gastric Cancer Center, West China Hospital，Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
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The gut microbiota is increasingly recognized as a key determinant of cancer susceptibility, functioning as a dynamic interface between environmental exposures and host physiology. Dysbiosis disrupts immune homeostasis, epithelial integrity, and metabolic equilibrium, thereby fostering a microenvironment conducive to oncogenesis. Conversely, a balanced microbial ecosystem and its metabolites exert potent anti-tumor effects through immune modulation, maintenance of mucosal barrier function, and detoxification of carcinogens. This Review synthesizes emerging mechanistic insights into how commensal microbes and their metabolic products coordinate host defense pathways to suppress malignant transformation. We further discuss translational strategies—ranging from probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics to fecal microbiota transplantation and dietary interventions—that leverage microbiome modulation for cancer prevention. Despite compelling preclinical evidence, clinical translation remains constrained by inter-individual variability and incomplete mechanistic understanding. Integration of multi-omics analyses, gnotobiotic models, and precision microbial engineering offers a path toward microbiota-based interventions as a cornerstone of personalized cancer prevention and immunomodulation.
Keywords: cancer prevention, carcinogen detoxification, fecal microbiota transplantation, Gut Microbiota, Immune Modulation, oncogenesis, Probiotics
Received: 17 Jan 2026; Accepted: 09 Feb 2026.
Copyright: © 2026 Li, Yan, Zeng and Zhao. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Linyong Zhao
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