Cancer Risk Lowered by Eliminating Gut Bacteria Crucial for Intestinal Tumor Development

Researchers at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai suggest that eliminating gut bacteria that are essential for the development of intestinal tumors can reduce the risk of cancer. This new study is published in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. Sergio A. Lira, MD, PhD, Director of the Immunology Institute, and Professor of Immunology and Medicine, and his laboratory at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, used a transgenic mouse model to test the hypothesis that distribution of intestinal polyps (precancerous lesions) was dependent on the bacteria (or microbiota) in the gut. They treated the mice with antibiotics to eradicate the populations of bacteria living in the gut. The treatment proved effective in preventing polyp formation. The authors propose that bacteria cross from the gut into the tissue of the intestinal wall, promoting inflammation and tumor growth.

"This begins to get at some of the nongenetic factors that spur the development of colorectal cancer," said Dr. Lira. "Understanding the interplay between genetic mutations, gut bacteria, and inflammation may lead to new diagnostics and treatments for intestinal cancer."



Source-Eurekalert