Emerging implications of bacterial biofilm in cancer biology: Recent updates and major perspectives

Recent insights have unveiled exciting opportunities to explore the intricate interplay among bacterial biofilms, tumor cells, and the immune system, thus offering new perspectives in cancer biology. The implications of bacterial biofilms in this context are remarkably multifaceted. Biofilms can promote tumor growth and invasiveness by inducing chronic inflammation, remodeling the extracellular matrix, and modulating the immune response, which promotes cancer development. Recent findings have demonstrated the involvement of distinct bacteria, like Salmonella typhi in gall bladder cancer, Helicobacter pylori in gastric cancer, and Fusobacterium nucleatum in oral cancer. These investigations indicate higher prevalence of these bacteria in individuals with cancer as compared to those who are healthy. Additionally, these bacteria create biofilms and display resistance to cancer treatments.In this review, we highlighted the recent advancements pertaining to influences of bacterial biofilm in cancer progression and potential molecular mechanisms by which bacterial biofilms contribute to cancer development.