[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-detail-372203-en":59,"doc-seo-372203-105":81},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":60},{"doc_id":61,"user_id":62,"nickname":63,"user_avatar":64,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":66,"doc_content":67,"file_id":68,"file_url":69,"file_type":70,"file_size":71,"view_count":72,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":73,"language":74,"language_code":75,"site_id":76,"html_lang":75,"table_of_contents":77,"faqs":78,"seo_title":79,"seo_description":66,"update_tm":80,"read_time":26},372203,7971461740886,"Theodore","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_3d24733baf745e90a7e4bdd5f77d97b2","Intra-tumoral bacteria in head and neck cancer: holistic integrative insight","Intra-tumoral bacteria are pivotal in the initiation and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), shaping tumor cell biology, immune responses, and the tumor microenvironment (TME). Diverse bacterial types and distributions disrupt metabolic and immune balance, driving metabolite release or altering immune-cell subsets to generate inflammatory signals or chemokines. This modulates anti-tumor immunity while regulating inflammation and immunosuppression in the TME. Bacterial features support diagnostic and prognostic use, and engineered bacteria or outer membrane vesicles offer promising therapeutic strategies despite potential unexpected immunotherapy effects.","Cancer Biol Med 2025. doi: 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2024.0311  \nREVIEW  \nIntra-tumoral bacteria in head and neck cancer: holistic integrative insight  \nYucheng Meng1*, Jiaru Deng1*, Weiwei Deng1,2, Zhijun Sun1,2  \n1State Key Laboratory of Oral & Maxillofacial Reconstruction and Regeneration, Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, Hubei Key Laboratory of Stomatology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Frontier Science Center for Immunology and Metabolism, Taikang Center for Life and Medical Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China; 2 Department of Oral & Maxillofacial Head Neck Oncology, School & Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430079, China  \n\n| ABSTRACT | Intra-tumoral bacteria are pivotal in the initiation and progression of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), exerting a significant influence on tumor cell biology, immune responses, and the tumor microenvironment (TME) . Different types and distribution of bacteria threaten the balance of metabolism and the immune environment of tumor cells. Taking advantage of this disrupted homeostasis, intra-tumoral bacteria stimulate the secretion of metabolites or influence specific immune cell types to produce inflammatory or chemokines, thereby influencing the anti-tumor immune response while regulating the level of inflammation and immunosuppression within the TME. Some intra-tumoral bacteria are used as diagnostic and prognostic markers in clinical practice. Based on the unique characteristics of bacteria, the use of engineered bacteria and outer membrane vesicles for drug delivery and biological intervention is a promising new therapeutic strategy. The presence of intra-tumoral bacteria also makes chemoradiotherapy tolerable, resulting in a poor treatment effect. However, due to the immune-related complexity of intra-tumoral bacteria, there may be unexpected effects in immunotherapy. In this review the patterns of intra-tumoral bacteria involvement in HNSCC are discussed, elucidating the dual roles, while exploring the relevance to anti-tumor immune responses in the clinical context and the prospects and limitations of the use of bacteria in targeted therapy. |\n| --- | --- |\n| KEYWORDS | Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma; intra-tumoral bacteria; tumor progression; immunity; therapy |\n\nIntroduction  \nIntra-tumoral bacteria affect the occurrence and development of cancer and the immune response via structural characteristics and biological functions and subsequently have unique effects on antitumor therapy1. Indeed, of head and neck cancer (HNC) pathogenic factors are inseparable from microorganisms2. Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is the predominant subtype of HNC, accounting for approximately 90% of all HNC cases3. HNSCC primarily originates  \n*These authors contributed equally to this work. Correspondence to: Weiwei Deng and Zhijun Sun  \nE-mail: [dww@whu.edu.cn](dww@whu.edu.cn) and [sunzj@whu.edu.cn](sunzj@whu.edu.cn)  \nORCID ID: [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6357-0674 and](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6357-0674 and)  \n[https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0932-8013](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0932-8013)  \nReceived July 29, 2024; accepted January 20, 2025;  \npublished online February 19, 2025. Available [at www.cancerbiomed.org](at www.cancerbiomed.org)  \n©2025 The Authors. Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License  \nfrom the mucosal epithelium of the oral cavity, pharynx, and larynx3. As the gateway between the respiratory and digestive tracts, these anatomic sites have extensive bacterial accumulation. Some studies have shown that there are microbial differences between healthy and abnormal oral cavity tissues, which further confirms the suspected involvement of bacteria in tumor development4. While intestinal flora research has dominated cancer-related bacterial studies, investigations into intra-tumoral bacteria are emerging5,6 .  \nBacteria and their metabolites often induce microenvironm","cbCaivPSxjNfnrh6","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaivPSxjNfnrh6","pdf",3365326,13,24,"English","en",105,"# Introduction\n# Mechanistic roles in tumor progression and the TME\n# Interactions with immune cells and immune evasion\n# Impacts on radiotherapy and chemotherapy\n# Therapeutic strategies using bacteria","[{\"question\":\"How do intra-tumoral bacteria influence HNSCC tumor progression?\",\"answer\":\"They alter tumor cell biology and the tumor microenvironment through metabolic disruption and by inducing inflammatory mediators such as IL-6, IL-8, and matrix metalloproteinases, promoting invasion and migration.\"},{\"question\":\"What role do intra-tumoral bacteria play in immune responses and immune evasion?\",\"answer\":\"Bacteria interact with immune cells, influencing PD-1/PD-L1 expression and binding and contributing to abnormal tumor immune responses and immune evasion.\"},{\"question\":\"Why might intra-tumoral bacteria affect immunotherapy outcomes unexpectedly?\",\"answer\":\"Their immune-related complexity can lead to unexpected effects in immunotherapy, even though mechanisms are not fully elucidated.\"}]","Intra-tumoral bacteria in head and neck cancer: holistic integrative insight | PDF",1790193967,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"ok",{"site_id":76,"language":75,"slug":84,"title":65,"keywords":85,"description":66,"schema_data":86,"social_meta":140,"head_meta":142,"extra_data":144,"updated_unix":145},"intra-tumoral-bacteria-in-head-and-neck-cancer-holistic-integrative-insight","",{"@graph":87,"@context":139},[88,102,122],{"@type":89,"itemListElement":90},"BreadcrumbList",[91,95,97,100],{"item":92,"name":93,"@type":94,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":96,"name":9,"@type":94,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":98,"name":35,"@type":94,"position":99},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":101,"name":65,"@type":94,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/intra-tumoral-bacteria-in-head-and-neck-cancer-holistic-integrative-insight/372203/",{"url":101,"name":65,"@type":103,"image":104,"author":109,"headline":65,"publisher":111,"fileFormat":114,"inLanguage":75,"description":66,"dateModified":115,"datePublished":116,"encodingFormat":114,"isAccessibleForFree":117,"interactionStatistic":118},"DigitalDocument",{"url":105,"@type":106,"width":107,"height":108},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/intra-tumoral-bacteria-in-head-and-neck-cancer-holistic-integrative-insight/372203.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":63,"@type":110},"Person",{"url":92,"name":112,"@type":113},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-28","2026-09-23",true,{"@type":119,"interactionType":120,"userInteractionCount":72},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":121},"ViewAction",{"@type":123,"mainEntity":124},"FAQPage",[125,131,135],{"name":126,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":128},"How do intra-tumoral bacteria influence HNSCC tumor progression?","Question",{"text":129,"@type":130},"They alter tumor cell biology and the tumor microenvironment through metabolic disruption and by inducing inflammatory mediators such as IL-6, IL-8, and matrix metalloproteinases, promoting invasion and migration.","Answer",{"name":132,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":133},"What role do intra-tumoral bacteria play in immune responses and immune evasion?",{"text":134,"@type":130},"Bacteria interact with immune cells, influencing PD-1/PD-L1 expression and binding and contributing to abnormal tumor immune responses and immune evasion.",{"name":136,"@type":127,"acceptedAnswer":137},"Why might intra-tumoral bacteria affect immunotherapy outcomes unexpectedly?",{"text":138,"@type":130},"Their immune-related complexity can lead to unexpected effects in immunotherapy, even though mechanisms are not fully elucidated.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":101,"og:type":141,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":112,"og:description":66},"article",{"robots":143,"canonical":101},"index,follow",{"doc_id":61,"site_id":76},1790245250]