The Gut Microbiota: A Potential Gateway to Improved Health Outcomes in Breast Cancer Treatment and Survivorship.
Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women worldwide. The disease and its treatments exert profound effects on an individual's physical and mental health. There are many factors that impact an individual's risk of developing breast cancer, their response to treatments, and their risk of recurrence. The community of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract, the gut microbiota, affects human health through metabolic, neural, and endocrine signaling, and immune activity. It is through these mechanisms that the gut microbiota appears to influence breast cancer risk, response to treatment, and recurrence. A disrupted gut microbiota or state of 'dysbiosis' can contribute to a biological environment associated with higher risk for cancer development as well as contribute to negative treatment side-effects. Many cancer treatments have been shown to shift the gut microbiota toward dysbiosis; however, the microbiota can also be positively manipulated through diet, prebiotic and probiotic supplementation, and exercise. The objective of this review is to provide an overview of the current understanding of the relationship between the gut microbiota and breast cancer and to highlight potential strategies for modulation of the gut microbiota that could lead to improved clinical outcomes and overall health in this population.
['Sampsell|Kara|K|0000-0002-9525-9976', 'Hao|Desirée|D|0000-0003-1727-1205', 'Reimer|Raylene A|RA|0000-0001-5088-7947']
D001943:Breast Neoplasms D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making D003131:Combined Modality Therapy D019091:Critical Pathways D019468:Disease Management D064806:Dysbiosis D015444:Exercise D005260:Female D000069196:Gastrointestinal Microbiome D006801:Humans D009765:Obesity D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care D011379:Prognosis D058996:Quality Improvement D000073859:Survivorship
gut microbiota breast cancer cancer treatment diet prebiotics probiotics exercise chemotherapy obesity