Characterization of intratumor microbiome in cancer immunotherapy

Comprehensive characterization of associations between intratumor microbiomes and cancer immune features and functional role of intratumor microbiome in immunotherapy

Dear Editor,

As an illuminating cancer hallmark, polymorphic microbiomes profoundly impact cancer phenotypes by promoting or repressing cancer initiation and progression.1 Diversity and composition in the gut microbiome are significantly associated with the response rate of anti-PD1 immunotherapy in melanoma.2 In addition to the gut microbiome, a large number of microbiomes colonizing in human tumors have been shown to play significant roles in cancer development.3 However, a comprehensive understanding of intratumor microbiomes in cancer immunotherapy is lacking, largely due to the challenge of investigating intratumor microbiomes in anti-cancer immunotherapy.