# The Dynamic Gut Microbiota: Monitoring Alterations During Lung Cancer Progression for Diagnosis and Precision Medicine

**Authors:** Xiao Xiao, Yi Wang, Tongxin Yin, Qiankun Wang, Yuting Feng, Huihao Ren, Jiaoyuan Li, Liming Cheng

PMC · DOI: 10.3390/ijms27041905 · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · 2026-02-16

## TL;DR

This paper reviews how changes in gut bacteria during lung cancer could help diagnose the disease and guide personalized treatments.

## Contribution

It emphasizes the dynamic changes in gut microbiota linked to lung cancer progression and treatment.

## Key findings

- Gut microbiota composition changes dynamically with lung cancer progression.
- Microbiota alterations are linked to immune responses and metabolic products.
- Long-term monitoring of gut microbiota could improve diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

## Abstract

The gut microbiota, the body’s richest microbial ecosystem, is essential for maintaining gut function and immune balance. Additionally, microbial-derived metabolites are linked to the onset and progression of various diseases. There is a potential bidirectional gut–lung axis by which the gut and lungs can communicate with each other mediated by microbiota, immune responses, and metabolic products, and thus affect lung cancer occurrence. As the pathological progression of lung cancer advances and treatment methods are optimized, there is a concurrent and continuous alteration in the gut microbiota and its metabolites in lung cancer patients. This review highlights that the composition and structure of the gut microbiota in lung cancer patients undergo dynamic alterations, which are intricately linked to the pathological progression of the disease and the implementation of therapeutic interventions. Longitudinal monitoring of this system may offer unprecedented insights into the early diagnosis, precise treatment, and prognostic evaluation of lung cancer.

## Linked entities

- **Diseases:** lung cancer (MONDO:0005138)

## Full-text entities

- **Genes:** GLUL (glutamate-ammonia ligase) [NCBI Gene 2752] {aka DEE116, GLNS, GS, PIG43, PIG59}, MAPK14 (mitogen-activated protein kinase 14) [NCBI Gene 1432] {aka CSBP, CSBP1, CSBP2, CSPB1, EXIP, Mxi2}, HTR7 (5-hydroxytryptamine receptor 7) [NCBI Gene 3363] {aka 5-HT7}, CCR6 (C-C motif chemokine receptor 6) [NCBI Gene 1235] {aka BN-1, C-C CKR-6, CC-CKR-6, CCR-6, CD196, CKR-L3}, XCR1 (X-C motif chemokine receptor 1) [NCBI Gene 2829] {aka CCXCR1, GPR5}, TP53 (tumor protein p53) [NCBI Gene 7157] {aka BCC7, BMFS5, LFS1, P53, TRP53}, CCR9 (C-C motif chemokine receptor 9) [NCBI Gene 10803] {aka CC-CKR-9, CDw199, GPR-9-6, GPR28}, IFNG (interferon gamma) [NCBI Gene 3458] {aka IFG, IFI, IMD69}, CCL20 (C-C motif chemokine ligand 20) [NCBI Gene 6364] {aka CKb4, Exodus, LARC, MIP-3-alpha, MIP-3a, MIP3A}, CD274 (CD274 molecule) [NCBI Gene 29126] {aka ADMIO5, B7-H, B7H1, PD-L1, PDCD1L1, PDCD1LG1}, IL12B (interleukin 12B) [NCBI Gene 3593] {aka CLMF, CLMF2, IL-12B, IMD28, IMD29, NKSF}, NFKB1 (nuclear factor kappa B subunit 1) [NCBI Gene 4790] {aka CVID12, EBP-1, KBF1, NF-kB, NF-kB1, NF-kappa-B1}, CD4 (CD4 molecule) [NCBI Gene 920] {aka CD4mut, IMD79, Leu-3, OKT4D, T4}, STAT6 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 6) [NCBI Gene 6778] {aka D12S1644, HIES6, IL-4-STAT, STAT6B, STAT6C}, CXCR3 (C-X-C motif chemokine receptor 3) [NCBI Gene 2833] {aka CD182, CD183, CKR-L2, CMKAR3, GPR9, IP10-R}, KRAS (KRAS proto-oncogene, GTPase) [NCBI Gene 3845] {aka 'C-K-RAS, C-K-RAS, CFC2, K-RAS2A, K-RAS2B, K-RAS4A}, FGF2 (fibroblast growth factor 2) [NCBI Gene 2247] {aka BFGF, FGF-2, FGFB, HBGF-2}, PDCD1 (programmed cell death 1) [NCBI Gene 5133] {aka ADMIO4, AIMTBS, CD279, PD-1, PD1, SLEB2}, SLC6A4 (solute carrier family 6 member 4) [NCBI Gene 6532] {aka 5-HTT, 5-HTTLPR, 5HTT, HTT, OCD1, SERT}, CD8A (CD8 subunit alpha) [NCBI Gene 925] {aka CD8, CD8alpha, IMD116, Leu2, p32}, CTLA4 (cytotoxic T-lymphocyte associated protein 4) [NCBI Gene 1493] {aka ALPS5, CD, CD152, CELIAC3, CTLA-4, GRD4}, IL17A (interleukin 17A) [NCBI Gene 3605] {aka CTLA-8, CTLA8, IL-17, IL-17A, IL17, ILA17}, SRC (SRC proto-oncogene, non-receptor tyrosine kinase) [NCBI Gene 6714] {aka ASV, SRC1, THC6, c-SRC, p60-Src}, STAT3 (signal transducer and activator of transcription 3) [NCBI Gene 6774] {aka ADMIO, ADMIO1, APRF, HIES}, MYC (MYC proto-oncogene, bHLH transcription factor) [NCBI Gene 4609] {aka MRTL, MYCC, bHLHe39, c-Myc}, H19 (H19 imprinted maternally expressed transcript) [NCBI Gene 283120] {aka ASM, ASM1, BWS, D11S813E, GMRSP, LINC00008}
- **Diseases:** chronic (MESH:D002908), NSCLC (MESH:D002289), intestinal diseases (MESH:D007410), metabolic diseases (MESH:D008659), tumorigenesis (MESH:D063646), lung inflammation (MESH:D011014), LLC (MESH:D018827), cachexia (MESH:D002100), IBD (MESH:D015212), obesity (MESH:D009765), lymph node metastasis (MESH:D008207), oral diseases (MESH:D009059), type 2 diabetes (MESH:D003924), benign lung nodules (MESH:D003074), cancer cachexia (MESH:D009369), Dysbiosis (MESH:D064806), lung disease (MESH:D008171), ELC (MESH:D008175), OS (MESH:D011475), carcinogenic (MESH:D011230), tumorigenic (MESH:D002471), BM (MESH:D009362), inflammation (MESH:D007249), respiratory tract inflammation (MESH:D012141), diseases (MESH:D004194), injury to (MESH:D014947)
- **Chemicals:** nervonic acid (MESH:C013147), SCFAs (MESH:D005232), BAs (MESH:D001464), indole (MESH:C030374), 5-HT (MESH:D012701), tridecane (MESH:C094074), glutamate (MESH:D018698), Tryptophan (MESH:D014364), L-citrulline (MESH:D002956), kynurenine (MESH:D007737), sphingolipids (MESH:D013107), DA (MESH:D004298), essential amino acid (MESH:D000601), GABA (MESH:D005680), lysine (MESH:D008239), BCAAs (MESH:D000597), acetate (MESH:D000085), lipid (MESH:D008055), GCA (MESH:D006000), lipopolysaccharide (MESH:D008070), vancomycin (MESH:D014640), L-valine (MESH:D014633), UDCA (MESH:D014580), glutamine (MESH:D005973), 2-pentanone (MESH:C076402), nicotinamide (MESH:D009536), tyrosine (MESH:D014443), polyamines (MESH:D011073), CA (MESH:D019826), 3-HAA (MESH:D015095), carbon (MESH:D002244), propionate (MESH:D011422), LCA (MESH:D008095), CDCA (MESH:D002635), amine (MESH:D000588), nitrogen (MESH:D009584), amino acids (MESH:D000596), histidine (MESH:D006639), nicotinate (MESH:D009525), catecholamine (MESH:D002395), GUDCA (MESH:C024033), butyrate (MESH:D002087), glycerol (MESH:D005990), glycerophospholipids (MESH:D020404), all-trans retinoic acid (MESH:D014212), BA (MESH:D001647), DCA (MESH:D003840), L-DOPA (MESH:D007980), BioRender (-)
- **Species:** Blautia (genus) [taxon 572511], Burkholderia anthina (species) [taxon 179879], Fusicatenibacter (genus) [taxon 1407607], Ruminococcus (genus) [taxon 1263], gut metagenome (species) [taxon 749906], Mogibacterium (genus) [taxon 86331], Klebsiella (genus) [taxon 570], Allofournierella (genus) [taxon 1940255], Clostridium butyricum (species) [taxon 1492], Roseburia (genus) [taxon 841], Fusobacterium nucleatum (species) [taxon 851], Butyricicoccus (genus) [taxon 580596], Adlercreutzia (genus) [taxon 447020], Bacillota (clostridial firmicutes, phylum) [taxon 1239], Veillonella parvula (species) [taxon 29466], Paenibacillus (genus) [taxon 44249], Shigella (genus) [taxon 620], Enterobacteriaceae (enterobacteria, family) [taxon 543], Enterococcus hirae (species) [taxon 1354], Desulfovibrio (genus) [taxon 872], Veillonella dispar (species) [taxon 39778], Oscillibacter (genus) [taxon 459786], Homo sapiens (human, species) [taxon 9606], Myriophora sp. H37 (species) [taxon 1812462], Nocardioides sp. (species) [taxon 35761], Listeria (genus) [taxon 1637], Segatella copri (species) [taxon 165179], Alistipes putredinis (species) [taxon 28117], Mus musculus (house mouse, species) [taxon 10090], Bacteroides (genus) [taxon 816], Bacteria Latreille et al. 1825 (Bacteria stick insect, genus) [taxon 629395], Prevotella (genus) [taxon 838], Eubacterium ventriosum (species) [taxon 39496], Caproiciproducens (genus) [taxon 1738645], Megamonas (genus) [taxon 158846], Subdoligranulum (genus) [taxon 292632], Escherichia coli (E. coli, species) [taxon 562], Lactobacillus sp. (species) [taxon 1591], Streptococcus (genus) [taxon 1301], Faecalibacterium (genus) [taxon 216851], Bifidobacterium longum (species) [taxon 216816], Akkermansia muciniphila (species) [taxon 239935]

## Full text

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## Figures

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## References

99 references — full list in the complete paper: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12940681/full.md

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Source: https://tomesphere.com/paper/PMC12940681