Microbiome Interactions in Lung Cancer Progression

The human respiratory tract hosts a complex microbial ecosystem whose composition and function can influence the initiation, advancement and therapeutic responsiveness of lung malignancies. Under normal conditions, resident bacteria and other microorganisms contribute to immune surveillance and epithelial homeostasis. In the context of lung cancer, however, shifts in community structure—known as dysbiosis—can promote chronic inflammation, alter local metabolite profiles and impair antitumour immunity. The interplay between microbial products and host cells shapes the tumour microenvironment, modulating processes such as epithelial barrier integrity, cytokine production and recruitment of effector lymphocytes. Beyond the lung itself, bidirectional communication via the gut–lung axis further impacts disease course, as intestinal microbes and their metabolites influence systemic immunity and may affect lung tumour growth or response to immunotherapy. Recent advances in culture-independent sequencing and metagenomic analysis have revealed distinct microbial signatures associated with histological subtypes, stages of disease and treatment outcomes. These insights hold promise for novel diagnostic biomarkers and microbiome-based adjunctive therapies designed to restore homeostatic immunity and improve patient prognosis.

Research from Nature Portfolio

A foundational study characterised microbial profiles in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma specimens, demonstrating that tumours are enriched in Proteobacteria and that squamous cell carcinoma harbours greater bacterial diversity than adenocarcinoma. Distinct microbial clusters, associated with smoking history and gender, were linked to differential survival rates, notably an Enterobacteriaceae-dominated subcluster with poorer prognosis. This work provides first evidence of a direct correlation between lung cancer subtype and local microbiota, highlighting potential prognostic biomarkers and targets for microbiome-directed interventions.

Microbiome Interactions in Lung Cancer Progression publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in microbiome interactions in lung cancer progression across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Dysbiosis: An imbalance in microbial community structure associated with disease states and impaired host functions.

16S rRNA gene sequencing: A molecular technique for identifying and quantifying bacterial taxa by targeting conserved ribosomal RNA gene regions.

Alpha diversity: A measure of species richness and evenness within a single microbial community sample.

Beta diversity: A measure of compositional difference between distinct microbial communities.

Tumour microenvironment: The local ecosystem of cancer cells, immune cells, stromal elements and microbiota that interact to influence tumour behaviour.

Gut–lung axis: The bidirectional communication network between intestinal and respiratory microbiomes affecting systemic and local immunity.

References

1. Role of respiratory system microbiota in development of lung cancer and clinical application. iMeta (2024).
2. Influence of gut and lung dysbiosis on lung cancer progression and their modulation as promising therapeutic targets: a comprehensive review. MedComm (2024).
3. The lung microbiota: role in maintaining pulmonary immune homeostasis and its implications in cancer development and therapy. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences (2020).
4. Desired Turbulence? Gut‐Lung Axis, Immunity, and Lung Cancer. Journal of Oncology (2017).
5. Profiling of lung microbiota discloses differences in adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Scientific Reports (2019).