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Updated: Jun 17, 2025
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Characterization and Functional Prediction of Bacteria in Ovarian Tissues
Published on: October 23, 2021
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The Gut Microbiome in Aging and Ovarian Cancer
Gena M Dominique1, Catherine Hammond2, M Sharon Stack1
1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Harper Cancer Research Institute, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN.
Aging and Cancer
|August 12, 2024
Summary
The gut microbiome shifts with aging and ovarian cancer, showing increased inflammation and decreased beneficial bacteria. More research is needed to link gut bacteria to ovarian cancer outcomes and aging.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Oncology
- Gerontology
Background:
- The gut microbiome composition changes significantly with age.
- These age-related gut microbiome alterations can influence distant tissues, including the ovarian cancer tumor microenvironment.
- Understanding these changes is crucial for comprehending aging and cancer progression.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and synthesize current literature on the gut microbiome in both ovarian cancer and aging.
- To identify common and contrasting trends in microbiota composition associated with these two phenomena.
- To highlight gaps in research regarding causal relationships and the interplay between aging and the gut microbiome in ovarian cancer.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies on gut microbiome in ovarian cancer.
- Literature review of studies on gut microbiome in aging.
- Comparative analysis of microbiota trends in both contexts.
Main Results:
- Both ovarian cancer and aging show increased pro-inflammatory bacteria (Proteobacteria, *Escherichia*) and decreased short-chain fatty acid producers (*Clostridium* cluster XIVa, *Bifidobacterium*).
- Beneficial bacteria (*Porphyromonadaceae*, *Akkermansia*) increase with healthy aging but decrease in ovarian cancer, similar to unhealthy aging or obesity.
- Significant gaps exist in research demonstrating causality and in studies examining the gut microbiome in ovarian cancer within the context of aging.
Conclusions:
- The gut microbiome exhibits distinct yet overlapping alterations in ovarian cancer and aging.
- Further research into causal links and the aging-ovarian cancer microbiome axis is essential.
- Such research may offer new avenues for ovarian cancer diagnosis and therapeutic strategies.
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