[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-353570-105":59,"doc-detail-353570-en":130},{"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":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","the-pathogens-playbook-in-cancer-from-oncogenesis-to-progression","The pathogen’s playbook in cancer - from oncogenesis to progression","","Microbial infections are linked to about 15–20% of cancers, involving viruses, bacteria, and fungi with distinct pathogenic features. Tumor tissues contain tumor-type specific microbial communities revealed by advanced multi-omics technologies. The review classifies microbes by action mechanisms: some directly induce tumorigenesis via DNA damage, repair pathway disruption, oncoprotein expression, and carcinogenic metabolite production; others promote progression by remodeling the tumor microenvironment, enhancing chemoresistance, or suppressing anti-tumor immunity. It also discusses clinical translation potential, research challenges, and future directions for precision oncology.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":35,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/the-pathogens-playbook-in-cancer-from-oncogenesis-to-progression/353570/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/the-pathogens-playbook-in-cancer-from-oncogenesis-to-progression/353570.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Olivia Brown","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-10-31","2026-09-22",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":34},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"How much of cancer is linked to microbial infections, and which types of microbes are involved?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"About 15–20% of cancers are linked to microbial infections involving viruses, bacteria, and fungi.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"What two major categories of microbial action mechanisms does the review describe?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"One group directly induces tumorigenesis through mechanisms such as DNA damage and repair disruption, while the other modulates tumor progression by affecting the tumor microenvironment, chemoresistance, or anti-tumor immunity.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What role do multi-omics technologies play in understanding microbes in tumors?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"They confirm that tumor tissues contain diverse, often tumor-type specific microbial communities and support a model of polymicrobial ecosystems contributing to tumor initiation, progression, and therapy response.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},353570,1790176557,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":34,"category_name":35,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":34,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":139,"language":140,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145},16904993612988,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_a8503ba1806abce46bf441b54a3ca4cd","TYPE Review  \nPUBLISHED 13 January 2026 DOI 10.3389/fonc.2025.1737423  \nOPEN ACCESS  \nEDITED BY  \nStefania Marsico,  \nUniversity of Calabria, Italy  \nREVIEWED BY  \nAmit Kumar,  \nVirginia Commonwealth University, United States  \nXing Zhang,  \nThe Scripps Research Institute, United States  \n*CORRESPONDENCE  \nGuoren Zhou  \n [dr_zgr@163.com](dr_zgr@163.com)[ ](dr_zgr@163.com)Xuan Sun  \n [21290107@stu.njmu.edu.cn](21290107@stu.njmu.edu.cn)  \n†These authors have contributed equally to this work  \nRECEIVED 01 November 2025  \nREVISED 14 December 2025  \nACCEPTED 19 December 2025  \nPUBLISHED 13 January 2026  \nCITATION  \nCai H, Yang S, Wang R, Li R, Liu Y, Chen R, Hu Y, Li Z, Zheng J, Sun X and Zhou G (2026) The pathogen’s playbook in cancer: from oncogenesis to progression.  \nFront. Oncol. 15:1737423 .  \ndoi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1737423  \nCOPYRIGHT  \n© 2026 Cai, Yang, Wang, Li, Liu, Chen, Hu, Li, Zheng, Sun and Zhou. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the  \nCreative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) .  \nThe use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.  \nThe pathogen’s playbook in cancer: from oncogenesisto progression  \nHongzhou Cai 1†, Shaozhe Yang2†, Ruizi Wang 2†, Ruixin Li 2, Yihan Liu 2, Ruzhou Chen 2, Yun Hu 3, Ziwei Li 2, Jinzhou Zheng 2, Xuan Sun 2* and Guoren Zhou 4*  \n1 Department of Urology, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital & The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, 2 Department of Radiology, The Fourth School of Clinical Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China,  \n3 Department of Breast, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital & The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China, 4 Department of Oncology, Jiangsu Cancer Hospital & The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University & Jiangsu Institute of Cancer Research, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China  \nGlobally, around 15–20% of cancers are linked to microbial infections, involving viruses, bacteria, and fungi, each with distinct pathogenic features. Advanced multi-om ics technologies have confir med tumor-specific microbial communities within tumor tissues. This review categorizes microbes by their action mechanisms in cancer biology: one group (e. g., Helicobacter pylori, HPV, Aspergillus species) directly induces tumorigenesis via DNA damage, repairing pathway disruption, oncoprotein expression, and carcinogenic metabolite production; the other group (e. g., Fusobacterium nucleatum, HIV, Candida albicans) modulates tumor progression by regulating the tumor microenvironment, enhancing tumor cell chemoresistance, or suppressing anti-tumor immunity. Additionally, this review also explores clinical translation potential, highlights research challenges, and proposes future directions to support precision oncology advancement.  \nKEYWORDS  \ncancer, clinical translation, direct oncogenic mechanisms, DNA damage, immune evasion, microorganisms, tumor microenvironment, tumor progression regulation  \n1 Introduction  \nIn recent years, the intricate relationship between the microorganisms and cancer has emerged as a groundbreaking frontier in oncology. Traditionally regarded as passive bystanders or opportunistic invaders, microorganisms are now recognized as active participants in carcinogenesis. It is estimated that nearly 15–20% of global cancer cases are attributable to microbial infections, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi (1) . Advanced multi-omics technologies have revealed that tumor tissues are not sterile, instead, they harbor diverse microbial communities that are often tumor-type specific. These findings challe","cbCaitQQKxkRRJP7","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaitQQKxkRRJP7","pdf",6207323,17,"English","# Introduction\n## Microorganisms as active participants in carcinogenesis\n# Pathogens that directly cause tumors\n## Mechanisms of bacteria, viruses, and fungi","[{\"question\":\"How much of cancer is linked to microbial infections, and which types of microbes are involved?\",\"answer\":\"About 15–20% of cancers are linked to microbial infections involving viruses, bacteria, and fungi.\"},{\"question\":\"What two major categories of microbial action mechanisms does the review describe?\",\"answer\":\"One group directly induces tumorigenesis through mechanisms such as DNA damage and repair disruption, while the other modulates tumor progression by affecting the tumor microenvironment, chemoresistance, or anti-tumor immunity.\"},{\"question\":\"What role do multi-omics technologies play in understanding microbes in tumors?\",\"answer\":\"They confirm that tumor tissues contain diverse, often tumor-type specific microbial communities and support a model of polymicrobial ecosystems contributing to tumor initiation, progression, and therapy response.\"}]","The pathogen’s playbook in cancer - from oncogenesis to progression | PDF",1790106082,43]