Mounting evidence from metagenomic analyses suggests that a state of pathological microbial imbalance or dysbiosis is prevalent in the gut of patients with colorectal cancer. Several bacterial taxa have been identified of which representative isolate cultures interact with human cancer cells in vitro and trigger disease pathways in animal models. However, how the complex interrelationships in dysbiotic communities may be involved in cancer pathogenesis remains a crucial question. Here, we provide a survey of current knowledge of the gut microbiome in colorectal cancer. Moving beyond observational studies, we outline new experimental approaches for gaining ecosystem-level mechanistic understanding of the gut microbiome’s role in cancer pathogenesis.

宏基因组学分析的大量证据表明，结直肠癌患者的肠道普遍存在病理性微生物失衡或营养不良状态。已经鉴定出几种细菌分类群，其中代表性的分离培养物在体外与人癌细胞相互作用并触发动物模型中的疾病途径。但是，在致病机理中，不良生物群落中复杂的相互关系如何仍然是一个至关重要的问题。在这里，我们提供了对大肠癌中肠道微生物组最新知识的调查。除了观察性研究之外，我们还概述了新的实验方法，以获得对肠道微生物组在癌症发病机理中作用的生态系统级机制的理解。