The Microbiome: the Link to Colorectal Cancer and Research Opportunities

In recent years, we have seen an increase in the study and interest of the role of the microbiome in the development of malignancies, their progression, and evasion of therapies. This has been particularly fruitful in the case of colorectal cancer; multiple investigators have described correlative observations as well as hypotheses strengthened in preclinical studies that have begun to elucidate the critical role the gut and tumoral microbiome plays in carcinogenesis. Furthermore, these landmark studies lay the groundwork in describing the microbiome’s role in carcinogenesis and provide a rich field of future study. Here, we review contemporary understandings of these observations and proposed mechanisms behind them.