Perspectives on microbes as oncogenic infectious agents and implications for breast cancer

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Microbiology
• Immunology

Background:

• Cancer risk assessment traditionally focuses on noninfectious agents, genetics, and epigenetics.
• The role of infectious agents in cancer causation has been historically limited to direct oncogene damage.
• Recent evidence links various infections to chronic diseases, influencing immune responses and disease development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the emerging evidence for infectious agents, particularly microbes, in the etiology of various cancers.
• To address the skepticism surrounding the role of microbes in breast cancer development.
• To highlight the potential benefits of improved experimental designs and broader definitions of infectious causation.

Main Methods:

• Review of emerging evidence linking acute, atypical, latent, and chronic infections to disease etiology.
• Examination of studies in model systems implicating infectious agents in gastrointestinal, liver, and lung cancers.
• Analysis of existing data on viral associations with breast cancer and the need for further investigation into microbial roles.

Main Results:

• Infectious agents are increasingly recognized for their influence on immune system function and chronic disease development.
• Evidence suggests a role for infectious agents in gastrointestinal, liver, and lung cancers.
• While viruses are associated with breast cancer, the contribution of other microbes remains under investigation.

Conclusions:

• Improved experimental designs and a flexible definition of infectious causation are crucial for confirming or refuting the microbe-breast cancer link.
• Identifying specific microbes, their components, or strain variants associated with breast cancer could lead to personalized treatment strategies.
• Harnessing microbes for immunotherapy and using probiotics to mitigate treatment side effects are potential future applications in cancer management.