Microbiota have emerged as key modulators of both the carcinogenic process and the immune response against cancer cells, and, thus, it seems to influence the efficacy of immunotherapy. While most studies have focused on analyzing the influence of gut microbiota, its composition substantially differs from that in the lung. Here, we describe how microbial life in the lungs is associated with host immune status in the lungs and, thus, how the identification of the microbial populations in the lower respiratory tract rather than in the gut might be key to understanding the lung carcinogenic process and to predict the efficacy of different treatments. Understanding the influence of lung microbiota on host immunity may identify new therapeutic targets and help to design new immunotherapy approaches to treat lung cancer.

微生物群已成为致癌过程和针对癌细胞的免疫反应的关键调节剂，因此似乎影响了免疫疗法的功效。尽管大多数研究都集中在分析肠道菌群的影响，但其组成与肺中的组成大不相同。在这里，我们描述了肺中的微生物生命与肺中的宿主免疫状态如何相关，因此，如何识别下呼吸道而不是肠道中的微生物种群可能是理解肺致癌过程和关键的关键。预测不同治疗方法的疗效。了解肺微生物群对宿主免疫力的影响可能会确定新的治疗靶点，并有助于设计新的免疫疗法来治疗肺癌。