Microbiota and gynaecologic cancers: from pathogenesis to therapy

Journal title PNEI REVIEW
Author/s Monica Arnone, Ilaria Demori
Publishing Year 2020 Issue 2020/1
Language Italian Pages 14 P. 105-118 File size 187 KB
DOI 10.3280/PNEI2020-001011
DOI is like a bar code for intellectual property: to have more infomation click here

Below, you can see the article first page

If you want to buy this article in PDF format, you can do it, following the instructions to buy download credits

Article preview

FrancoAngeli is member of Publishers International Linking Association, Inc (PILA), a not-for-profit association which run the CrossRef service enabling links to and from online scholarly content.

Interest toward the human microbiota has recently spread beyond the intestine to include many other organs in which microorganisms can have health implications. The authors focus on the vaginal microbiota and its possible role in the pathogenesis of the most common gynaecologic cancers. Vaginal dysbiosis can be associated with the development of cervical, endometrial and ovarian cancers; on the other hand, anticancer therapies very often cause dysbiosis, both vaginal and intestinal, thus contributing to many of the side effects of the same therapies. The literature demonstrates the effectiveness of probiotics for cancer prevention and efficacy of therapies in gynaecologic oncology. However, according to the Pnei paradigm, diet regimen as a whole, and stress management remain at the cornerstone of the strategies to maintain the homeostasis of the commensal microbes, that can act as unexpected "friends" of women’s health.

Keywords: Microbiota, Cancer, Gynaecology, Probiotics, Diet, Stress.

  1. Takahashi K. (2014). Influence of bacteria on epigenetic gene control. Cell. Mol. Life Sci., 71(6): 1045-1054.
  2. Andreyev J. (2005). Gastrointestinal complications of pelvic radiotherapy: are they of any importance?. Gut, 54(8): 1051-1054.
  3. Anglana F. e Graziottin A. (2014). Approfondimenti di farmacologia in ginecologia-ostetricia e sessuologia medica. Milano: Fondazione Alessandra Graziottin.
  4. Audet M.C. (2019). Stress-induced disturbances along the gut microbiota-immune-brain axis and implications for mental health: Does sex matter?. Front. Neuroendocrinol., 54: 100772.
  5. Baker J.M., Chase D.M. and Herbst-Kralovetz M.M. (2018). Uterine Microbiota: Residents, Tourists, or Invaders?. Front. Immunol., 9: 208.
  6. Bindels L.B. and Delzenne N.M. (2013). Muscle wasting: the gut microbiota as a new therapeutic target?. Int. J.Biochem. Cell Biol., 45(10): 2186-2190.
  7. Brotman R.M., Shardell M.D., Gajer P., Fadrosh D., Chang K., Silver M.I., Viscidi R.P., Burke A.E., Ravel J. and Gravitt P.E. (2014). Association between the vaginal microbiota, menopause status, and signs of vulvovaginal atrophy. Menopause, 21(5): 450-458.
  8. Chase D., Goulder A., Zenhausern F., Monk B. and Herbst-Kralovetz M. (2015). The vaginal and gastrointestinal microbiomes in gynaecologic cancers: A review of applications in etiology, symptoms and treatment. Gynecol. Oncol., 138: 190-200.
  9. Clarke M.A., Rodriguez A.C., Gage J.C., Herrero R., Hildesheim A., Wacholder S., Burk R. and Schiffman M. (2012). A large, population-based study of age-related associations between vaginal pH and human papilloma virus infection. BMC Infect. Dis., 12: 33. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-12-3
  10. Conte S., Michieli R. e Ventriglia G. (2017). Vaginiti e microbiota: come orientarsi in ambulatorio. Rivista Società Italiana di Medicina Generale (SUPPL), 1-7.
  11. Demers M., Dagnault A. and Desjardins J. (2014). A randomized double-blind controlled trial: impact of probiotics on diarrhea in patients treated with pelvic radiation. Clin. Nutr., 33(5): 761-767.
  12. Demori I. and Grasselli E. (2016). Stress-Related Weight Gain: Mechanisms Involving Feeding Behavior, Metabolism, Gut Microbiota and Inflammation. J. Nutr. Food. Sci., 6: 1. DOI: 10.4172/2155-9600.100045
  13. Di Cerbo A. and Palmieri B. (2013). Lactobacillus Paracaseisub sp. Paracasei F19; a farmacogenomic and clinical update. Nutr. Hosp., 28(6): 1842-1850.
  14. Dinkelspiel H.E., Wright J.D., Lewin S.N. and Herzog T.J. (2013). Contemporary clinical management of endometrial cancer. Obstet. Gynecol. Int., 2013: 583891. DOI: 10.1155/2013/58389
  15. Erickson B.K., Conner M.G. and Landen C.N.Jr. (2013). The role of the fallopian tube in the origin of ovarian cancer. Am. J. Obstet. Gynecol., 209(5): 409-414.
  16. Gao W., Weng J., Gao Y. and Chen X. (2013). Comparison of the vaginal microbiota diversity of women with and without human papilloma virus infection: a cross-sectional study. BMC Infect. Dis., 13: 271. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2334-13-27
  17. Gasbarrini A. (2013). Il microbiota intestinale. Roma: Verduci.
  18. Greenwald H.P. and McCorkle R. (2008). Sexuality and sexual function in longterm survivors of cervical cancer. J. Womens Health (Larchmt), 17(6): 955-963.
  19. Hansen L.K., Becher N., Bastholm S., Glavind J., Ramsing M., Kim C.J., Romero R., Jensen J.S. and Uldbjerg N. (2014). The cervical mucus plug inhibits, but does not block, the passage of ascending bacteria from the vagina during pregnancy. Acta Obstet. Gynecol. Scand., 93(1): 102-108.
  20. Hillier S.L., Nugent R.P., Eschenbach D.A., Krohn M.A., Gibbs R.S., Martin D.H., Cotch M.F., Edelman R., Pastorek 2nd J.G. and Rao A.V. (1995). Association between bacterial vaginosis and preterm delivery of a low-birth weight infant. The Vaginal Infections and Prematurity Study Group. N. Engl. J. Med., 333: 1737-1742. DOI: 10.1056/NEJM19951228333260
  21. Hyland N. and Stanton C., eds. (2016). The Gut-Brain Axis. Dietary, Probiotic, and Prebiotic Interventions on the Microbiota. London: Elsevier Science Publishing Co Inc. DOI: 10.1016/C2014-0-02907-
  22. Klein G.L., Petschow B.W., Shaw A.L. and Weaver E. (2013). Gut barrier dysfun ction and microbial translocation in cancer cachexia: a new therapeutic target. Curr. Opin. Support. Palliat. Care, 7(4): 361-367. DOI: 10.1097/SPC.000000000000001
  23. Klumpp D.J. and Rudick C.N. (2008). Summation model of pelvic pain in interstitial cystitis. Nat. Clin. Pract. Urol., 5(9): 494-500.
  24. Kunz G., Beil D., Deiniger H., Einspanier A., Mall G. and Leyendecker G. (1997). The uterine peristaltic pump – normal and impeded sperm transport within the female genital tract. Adv. Exp. Med. Biol., 424: 267-277. DOI: 10.1007/978-1-4615-5913-9_4
  25. Lee J.E., Lee S., Lee H., Song Y.M., Lee K., Han M.J., Sung J. and Ko G. (2013). Association of the vaginal microbiota with human papilloma virus infection in a Korean twin cohort. PLoS ONE, 8(5): e63514.
  26. Liong M.T. (2008). Safety of probiotics: translocation and infection. Nutr. Rev., 66(4): 192-202.
  27. Moller B.R., Kristiansen F.V., Thorsen P., Frost L. and Mogensen S.C. (1995). Sterility of the uterine cavity. Acta Obstet. Gynecol. Scand., 74(3): 216-219. DOI: 10.3109/0001634950900894
  28. Nam Y.D., Kim H.J., Seo J.G., Kang S.W. and Bae J.W. (2013). Impact of pelvic radiotherapy on gut microbiota of gynaecological cancer patients revealed by massive pyrosequencing. PLoS ONE, 8(12): e82659.
  29. Ness R.B., Kip K.E., Hillier S.L., Soper D.E., Stamm C.A., Sweet R.L., Rice P. and Richter H.E. (2005). A cluster analysis of bacterial vaginosis-associated microflora and pelvic inflammatory disease. Am. J. Epidemiol., 162(6): 585-590.
  30. Plottel C.S. and Blaser M.J. (2011). Microbiome and malignancy. Cell Host Microbe, 10(4): 324-335.
  31. Reid G., Jass J., Sebulsky M.T. and McCormick J.K. (2003). Potential uses of probiotics in clinical practice. Clin. Microbiol. Rev., 16: 658-672.
  32. Sanders M.E., Akkermans L.M., Haller D., Hammerman C., Heimbach J., Hörmannsperger G., Huys G., Levy D.D., Lutgendorff F., Mack D., Phothirath P., Solano-Aguilar G. and Vaughan E. (2010). Safety assessment of probiotics for human use. Gut Microbes, 1(3): 164-185.
  33. Sharma H., Tal R., Clark N.A. and Segars J.H. (2014). Microbiota and pelvic inflammatory disease. Semin. Reprod. Med., 32(1): 43-49.
  34. Torres-Fuentes C., Schellekens H., Dinan T.G. and Cryan J.F. (2017). The microbiota-gut-brain axis in obesity. Lancet Gastroenterol. Hepatol., 2(10): 747-756. DOI: 10.1016/S2468-1253(17)30147-
  35. Ustinova E.E., Gutkin D.W. and Pezzone M.A. (2007). Sensitization of pelvic nerve afferents and mast cell infiltration in the urinary bladder following chronic colonic irritation is mediated by neuropeptides. Am. J. Physiol. Renal Physiol., 292(1): F123-130.
  36. Vasquez A., Jakobsson T., Ahrné S., Forsum U. and Molin G. (2002). Vaginal Lactobacillus flora of healthy Swedish women. J. Clin. Microbiol., 40: 2746-2749.
  37. Verhoeven V., Renard N., Makar A., Van Royen P., Bogers J.P., Lardon F., Pee- ters M. and Baay M. (2013). Probiotics enhance the clearance of human papilloma virus-related cervical lesions: a prospective controlled pilot study. Eur. J. Cancer Prev., 22: 46-51.
  38. Verne G.N., Robinson M.E., Vase L. and Price D.D. (2003). Reversal of visceral and cutaneous hyperalgesia by local rectal anesthesia in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients. Pain, 105: 223-230.
  39. Wang Z., He Y. and Zheng Y. (2019). Probiotics for the Treatment of Bacterial Vaginosis: A Meta-Analysis. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 16(20): E3859.
  40. Wenzel L.B., Huang H.Q., Armstrong D.K., Walker J.L. and Cella D. (2007). Health-related quality of life during and after intraperitoneal versus intravenous chemotherapy for optimally debulked ovarian cancer: a Gynecologic Oncology Group Study. J. Clin. Oncol., 25(4): 437-443. DOI: 10.1200/JCO.2006.07.349
  41. Wu G.D., Chen J., Hoffmann C., Bittinger K., Chen Y.Y., Keilbaugh S.A., Bewtra M., Knights D., Walters W.A., Knight R., Sinha R., Gilroy E., Gupta K., Baldassano R., Nessel L., Li H., Bushman F.D. and Lewis J.D. (2011). Linking long-term dietary patterns with gut microbial enterotypes. Science, 334: 105-108.
  42. Younes J.A., Lievens E., Hummelen R., van derWesten R., Reid G. and Petrova M.I. (2018). Women and Their Microbes: The Unexpected Friendship. Trends Microbiol., 26: 16-32.
  43. Yu A.Q. and Li L. (2016). The Potential Role of Probiotics in Cancer Prevention Treatment. Nutr. Cancer, 68(4): 535-544. DOI: 10.1080/01635581.2016.115830

Monica Arnone, Ilaria Demori, Microbiota e tumori ginecologici: dalla patogenesi alla terapia in "PNEI REVIEW" 1/2020, pp 105-118, DOI: 10.3280/PNEI2020-001011