Modulation of gut microbiota by probiotics to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Front Immunol

State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, First Affiliated Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Published: December 2024

AI Article Synopsis

  • * Dysbiosis can lead to the production of harmful substances, disrupt immune function, and influence metabolic processes, which collectively contribute to HCC development while also affecting cancer immunotherapy outcomes.
  • * Probiotics may enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy by improving gut health, potentially offering a safer and more cost-effective approach to preventing and managing hepatocellular carcinoma according to recent research findings.

Article Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma, a common malignancy of the digestive system, typically progresses through a sequence of hepatitis, liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and ultimately, tumor. The interaction between gut microbiota, the portal venous system and the biliary tract, referred to as the gut-liver axis, is crucial in understanding the mechanisms that contribute to the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Mechanisms implicated include gut dysbiosis, alterations in microbial metabolites and increased intestinal barrier permeability. Imbalances in gut microbiota, or dysbiosis, contributes to hepatocellular carcinoma by producing carcinogenic substances, disrupting the balance of the immune system, altering metabolic processes, and increasing intestinal barrier permeability. Concurrently, accumulating evidence suggests that gut microbiota has the ability to modulate antitumor immune responses and affect the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies. As a new and effective strategy, immunotherapy offers significant potential for managing advanced stages of hepatocellular carcinoma, with immune checkpoint inhibitors achieving significant advancements in improving patients' survival. Probiotics play a vital role in promoting health and preventing diseases by modulating metabolic processes, inflammation and immune responses. Research indicates that they are instrumental in boosting antitumor immune responses through the modulation of gut microbiota. This review is to explore the relationship between gut microbiota and the emergence of hepatocellular carcinoma, assess the contributions of probiotics to immunotherapy and outline the latest research findings, providing a safer and more cost-effective potential strategy for the prevention and management of hepatocellular carcinoma.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11621041PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2024.1504948DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

hepatocellular carcinoma
28
gut microbiota
24
immune responses
12
modulation gut
8
intestinal barrier
8
barrier permeability
8
metabolic processes
8
antitumor immune
8
hepatocellular
7
carcinoma
7

Similar Publications

Successful treatment of tumor lysis syndrome associated with hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy in a patient with hepatocellular carcinoma: a case report.

J Med Case Rep

December 2024

Liver Cancer Institute, National Clinical Research Center for Interventional Medicine, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 136 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, People's Republic of China.

Background: Tumor lysis syndrome is a life-threatening complication in the treatment of cancer. However, it rarely occurs in solid tumors, especially in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Case Presentation: We present a 52-year-old male Asian patient with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma treated with hepatic artery infusion chemotherapy that resulted in tumor lysis syndrome.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Lenvatinib is a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor widely used in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Its primary mechanism of action involves inhibiting signal pathways such as vascular endothelial growth factor receptors (VEGFR) and fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFR), thereby reducing tumor cell proliferation and angiogenesis and affecting the tumor's immune microenvironment. In the treatment of liver cancer, although lenvatinib monotherapy has shown good clinical effect, the problem of drug resistance is becoming more and more serious.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Abscopal response in a patient with fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma following radiotherapy.

Lancet

December 2025

Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders Center, and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Single-cell RNA seq-derived signatures define response patterns to atezolizumab + bevacizumab in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.

J Hepatol

December 2024

Mount Sinai Liver Cancer Program (Divisions of Liver Diseases, Department of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine), Tisch Cancer Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, USA; Liver Cancer Translational Research Laboratory, Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi i Sunyer (IDIBAPS), Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats (ICREA), Barcelona, Catalonia, 08010, Spain. Electronic address:

Background & Aims: The combination of atezolizumab and bevacizumab (atezo+bev) is the current standard of care for advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), providing a median overall survival (OS) of 19.2 months. Here, we aim to uncover the underlying cellular processes driving clinical benefit versus resistance to atezo+bev.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!