ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
This article is part of the Research TopicNew Challenges in Cancer Immunotherapy: Mechanisms, Translational Approaches, and Pan-Tumor StrategiesView all 12 articles
Influence of Stage-Specific and Location-Related Intratumoral Microbiota on Prognosis and Metabolic Reprogramming in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Thoracic Surgery, Cancer Hospital of China Medical University, Liaoning Cancer Hospital & Institute, Shenyang, China
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This research investigates the complex relationships between intratumoral microbiota, immune infiltration, and prognosis in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). By characterizing these interactions, we aimed to elucidate how microbial diversity within the tumor microenvironment modulates immune responses and clinical outcomes. Tumor and adjacent non-tumor tissues from 21 NSCLC patients were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing to profile the intratumoral microbiota. Microbial composition exhibited significant heterogeneity based on tumor stage and anatomical location, with Bacteroides identified as a key genus enriched in early-stage tumors and correlated with improved prognosis. Functional pathway analysis revealed enrichment of tumor-associated microbiota in metabolic and biosynthetic pathways, including carbon metabolism and amino acid biosynthesis. Further experiments demonstrated that Bacteroides significantly suppressed NSCLC cell proliferation and promoted apoptosis. Moreover, this microbe appears to exert anti-tumor effects by altering the tumor immune microenvironment. These findings demonstrate intricate associations including intratumoral microbiota, immune cell infiltration, patient prognosis, and signaling pathways, suggesting potential therapeutic targets for future investigations of intratumoral microbial dynamics.
Keywords: Non-small cell lung cancer, Intratumoral microbiome, Immuneinfiltration, prognosis, 16S rRNA sequencing, Immunohistochemistry
Received: 29 Jul 2025; Accepted: 26 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Zhao, Tong, Liu, Yang, Chen and Wang. 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: Zheng Wang
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