A Systematic Review of the Gastrointestinal Microbiome: A Game Changer in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a malignant condition of the colon and rectum. Generally, malignancies constitute a significant health threat to humans, and the result can be devastating. CRC is no exception. The gastrointestinal (GI) microbiome has long been suspected of impacting CRC. This review seeks to explore whether there is a connection between the two or not. For screening purposes, relevant articles were culled from various databases using key terms and phrases. Following a thorough search, the inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied, and a quality assessment was conducted. The articles retained were comprehensively studied, and revealed imbalances of the GI microbiome do indeed exhibit an association with CRC.