The relationship between clostridium spp. and the incidence of colorectal cancer: A descriptive review

• Main Author: Escueta, Louise Nicole C.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Clostridium; Rectum—Cancer; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_bio/57; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_bio/article/1060/viewcontent/2023_Escueta_The_Relationship_Between_Clostridium_spp._and_the_Incidence_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is identified as the third most common malignancy worldwide. While typically associated with factors such as one’s genetics and environment, an increasing number of literature additionally present a possible connection between bacteria and CRC. Clostridium is ubiquitous in the environment as well as in the intestines of humans and other animals. Some species belonging to this genera have been implicated in CRC but it has not been thoroughly explored. This descriptive review therefore aimed to comprehensively evaluate measures indicative of the abundance of Clostridium spp. in CRC relative to controls, as well as look into other determinants of their relationship, allowing the identification of the species involved. A literature search was conducted in two (2) databases, with articles published from January 2002 to November 2022. After screening, eight (8) studies were deemed eligible for inclusion in the review. The measures that were identified are relative abundance, bacterial diversity index, copy number, group-specific representation, diagnostic power, occurrence rate, and hazard ratio. On the other hand, the species implicated in CRC are C. hathewayi, C. coccoides subgroup, C. difficile, C. nexile, C. perfringens, C. septicum, and C. symbiosum. However, due to the heterogeneity of the studies and limited number of comparable literature, the findings of the review were deemed inconclusive. Nevertheless, the results may still present important implications regarding the nature of the relationship between Clostridium spp. and CRC, warranting further exploration. Future research may concentrate on the relationship of a single species with CRC for greater precision. The standardization of measurements may aid in the consistency and comparability of data synthesis. Variations in the type of samples may be investigated. Additionally, profiling the microbial populations and the prevalence of clostridial infections may be conducted to describe the distribution of CRC-enriched Clostridium locally. Unraveling the complex relationship between bacteria and CRC requires great effort but doing so may prove to be significant in screening, prevention, and implementation of pertinent strategies to curb the burden of the disease.