Bacteria: prospective savior in battle against cancer

Conventional anticancer therapies such as chemotherapy are losing their sheen in the battle against cancer. Therefore, strategies for treatment of cancer need to be constantly modified to fulfill the growing demands of alternative therapies. Several viral and non-viral vectors have been exploited for anticancer gene therapy. But over the years bacteria have been proven to be an important candidate for successful evasion of cancer. They serve as invaluable source of tumor-specific anticancer genes, toxins, polysaccharides for synthesis of nanodrugs and gene-delivery vectors. The current review assesses the role of important bacterial groups in different spheres of anti-cancer research.