Gut Microbiota and Tumor Immune Escape: A New Perspective for Improving Tumor Immunotherapy

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The gut microbiota is a commensal microbiota living in the human intestine. Its status and composition have a profound impact on human antitumor immunity. Gut microbiota and its metabolites can influence tumor immune escape through immune cells and inflammatory factors, changing the patient’s response to immunotherapy. Protecting normal gut microbiota or optimizing its composition can improve the effects of tumor immunotherapy and bring new hope for cancer treatment. ABSTRACT: The gut microbiota is a large symbiotic community of anaerobic and facultative aerobic bacteria inhabiting the human intestinal tract, and its activities significantly affect human health. Increasing evidence has suggested that the gut microbiome plays an important role in tumor-related immune regulation. In the tumor microenvironment (TME), the gut microbiome and its metabolites affect the differentiation and function of immune cells regulating the immune evasion of tumors. The gut microbiome can indirectly influence individual responses to various classical tumor immunotherapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy and adoptive immunotherapy. Microbial regulation through antibiotics, prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) optimize the composition of the gut microbiome, improving the efficacy of immunotherapy and bringing a new perspective and hope for tumor treatment.