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

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.