Lactate-Producing Bacteria Inside Tumors Promote Resistance to Radiation Therapy; Targeting Intratumoral Bacteria Could Potentially Overcome Treatment Resistance

Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have discovered that lactate-producing intratumoral bacteria drive resistance to radiation therapy, suggesting that lactic acid-producing bacteria present in various cancers may serve as novel therapeutic targets. The study, published October 19, 2023 in Cancer Cell, reported that a particular bacterial species, Lactobacillus iners (L. iners), caused cancer cells to respond to radiation by rewiring metabolic signaling pathways to resist treatment. The researchers also found that L. iners was associated with poorer clinical outcomes in patients with cervical cancer. The open-access article is titled “Tumor-Resident Lactobacillus iners Confer Chemoradiation Resistance Through Lactate-Induced Metabolic Rewiring.”