Antibiotic-Induced Dysbiosis Promotes Lung Metastasis
Abstract
Although they fight infections, antibiotics (ABX) severely alter microbiomes by disrupting commensal bacteria crucial for maintaining various host homeostatic mechanisms. This disruption or imbalance of bacteria in one’s body is referred to as dysbiosis. The use of ABX has significantly increased by 30% in recent years, yet the influence of ABX-induced dysbiosis on metastasis is largely unknown. Metastasis, the successful spreading of primary tumor cells to distant organs, is the primary cause of cancer morbidity and mortality and is estimated to account for 90% of cancer deaths. Recent studies have revealed that ABX-induced dysbiosis has systemic consequences. These observations and their clinical implications motivated us to propose to investigate whether dysbiosis also has an influence on lung metastasis. Thus, there is a pressing need to reach a deeper understanding of the consequences of ABX-induced dysbiosis on lung metastasis to uncover strategies to intervene and overcome the consequences of dysbiosis. This also addresses two Areas of Emphasis of the 2020 LCRF: (1) Understand contributors to lung cancer development other than tobacco and (2) Identify innovative strategies for the screening and early detection of lung cancer. Insight from this research will increase our understanding of the cellular and molecular consequences of ABX-induced dysbiosis on lung metastasis. We expect this study to lay the foundation for future large-scale studies aimed at intervening and reducing metastatic spread and clinical decision-making regarding the use of certain ABX in cancer patients. Importantly, military Service Members, Veterans, and their families are at a higher risk of developing lung cancer and metastasis than the general population due to increased rates of smoking as well as an increased likelihood of being exposed to environmental carcinogens during their Service.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Dec 05, 2021
- Source ID
- W81XWH2110577
Entities
People
- Ruud Dings
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences