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World J Gastrointest Oncol. May 15, 2023; 15(5): 776-786
Published online May 15, 2023. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v15.i5.776
Microbiota regulation in constipation and colorectal cancer
Li-Wei Wang, Hao Ruan, Bang-Mao Wang, Yuan Qin, Wei-Long Zhong
Li-Wei Wang, Bang-Mao Wang, Wei-Long Zhong, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Tianjin 300052, China
Hao Ruan, China Resources Biopharmaceutical Company Limited, Beijing 100029, China
Yuan Qin, College of Life Sciences and Medicine, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, Zhejiang Province, China
Author contributions: Wang LW, Qin Y and Zhong WL designed this study; Wang LW, Zhong WL, Wang BM and Ruan H performed the reference analyses; Wang LW and Zhong WL wrote the initial draft of the paper, with contributions from all authors.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82000511 and 82170558; Scientific and Technological Projects of Tianjin, No. 21JCQNJC01120; Health Science and Technology Project of Tianjin, No. TJWJ2021QN006; Scientific Research Project of Tianjin Education Commission, No. 2019KJ197; Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province, No. LQ23H050005; and Scientific Research Project of Zhejiang Provincial Education Department, No. Y202250731.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Wei-Long Zhong, PhD, Adjunct Associate Professor, Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, No. 154 Anshan Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300052, China. zhongweilong@tmu.edu.cn
Received: December 28, 2022
Peer-review started: December 28, 2022
First decision: January 9, 2023
Revised: January 23, 2023
Accepted: April 21, 2023
Article in press: April 21, 2023
Published online: May 15, 2023
Abstract

The relevance of constipation to the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC) is currently a controversial issue. Studies have shown that changes in the composition of the gut microbiota, a condition known as ecological imbalance, are correlated with an increasing number of common human diseases, including CRC and constipation. CRC is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and constipation has been receiving widespread attention as a risk factor for CRC. Early colonoscopy screening of constipated patients, with regular follow-ups and timely intervention, can help detect early intestinal lesions and reduce the risks of developing colorectal polyps and CRC. As an important regulator of the intestinal microenvironment, the gut microbiota plays a critical role in the onset and progression of CRC. An increasing amount of evidence supports the thought that gut microbial composition and function are key determinants of CRC development and progression, with alterations inducing changes in the expression of host genes, metabolic regulation, and local and systemic immunological responses. Furthermore, constipation greatly affects the composition of the gut microbiota, which in turn influences the susceptibility to intestinal diseases such as CRC. However, the crosstalk between the gut microbiota, constipation, and CRC is still unclear.

Keywords: Microbiota, Constipation, Colorectal cancer, Intestinal microenvironment, Immunological responses, Metabolic regulation

Core Tip: The changes in the composition of the gut microbiota are correlated with an increasing number of common human diseases, including colorectal cancer (CRC) and constipation. CRC is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and constipation has been receiving widespread attention as a risk factor for CRC. An increasing amount of evidence supports the thought that gut microbial composition and function are key determinants of CRC development and progression, with alterations inducing changes in the expression of host genes, metabolic regulation, and local and systemic immunological responses.