Review
Copyright ©2008 The WJG Press and Baishideng. All rights reserved.
World J Gastroenterol. Nov 14, 2008; 14(42): 6453-6457
Published online Nov 14, 2008. doi: 10.3748/wjg.14.6453
Role of probiotics, prebiotics and synbiotics in chemoprevention for colorectal cancer
Constantine Iosif Fotiadis, Christos Nikolaou Stoidis, Basileios Georgiou Spyropoulos, Eleftherios Dimitriou Zografos
Constantine Iosif Fotiadis, Christos Nikolaou Stoidis, Basileios Georgiou Spyropoulos, Eleftherios Dimitriou Zografos, 3rd Surgical Clinic of the university hospital ‘ATTIKON’,  Athens, Greece
Author contributions: Fotiadis CI and Zografos ED contributed equally to this work; Fotiadis CI, Stoidis CN, Spyropoulos BG and Zografos ED designed and performed the research; Zografos ED wrote the paper.
Supported by The National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School
Correspondence to: Constantine Iosif Fotiadis, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, 3rd Surgical Clinic of the University hospital ‘ATTIKON’, Rimini 1, 12462, Haidari, Greece. costfot@yahoo.gr
Telephone: +30-21-05326431 Fax: +30-21-05326411
Received: June 25, 2008
Revised: October 1, 2008
Accepted: October 8, 2008
Published online: November 14, 2008
Abstract

Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer. Current treatments are all associated with a high risk of complications and a low success rate. Recently, synbiotics have been proposed as a new preventive and therapeutic option. There is no direct experimental evidence for cancer suppression in humans as a result of the consumption of pro-, pre- or synbiotics. However, there is a wealth of evidence emerging from laboratory studies. The mechanisms by which pro-, pre- and synbiotics may inhibit colon cancer are now beginning to be understood and will be addressed in the present review.

Keywords: Probiotics; Prebiotics; Synbiotics; Colorectal cancer; Treatment; Prevention