Two new studies now have uncovered fungal DNA in tumors throughout the body and endeavor to characterize the cancer mycobiome. Both studies were published in the Sept. 29, 2022, online issue of Cell. Although the association between cancer and individual microbes has long been explored, recent attention has focused on the whole human microbiome.
The growth of some pancreatic cancers is fueled by fungus-induced production of the cytokine IL-33, and the progression of such tumors could be slowed down by treatment with antifungals or genetic deletion of IL-33, researchers reported in the February 3, 2022, online issue of CancerCell.
