The intratumor mycobiome promotes lung cancer progression via myeloid-derived suppressor cells

Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and partner institutions investigated the amount of fungus present in lung adenocarcinoma tissue and found that the abundance of fungi in tumour tissue was higher than that in matched non-tumour tissue. The researchers also found that whereas the ratio of certain fungal species was similar in non-tumour tissues and some tumour tissues, other, more aggressive tumour subtypes had a greater difference in the proportion of these species. This finding suggests a potential correlation between fungal growth and the aggressiveness of lung adenocarcinoma. The study was published in Cancer Cell.

This study provides the first definitive proof of the impact of within-tumour fungal infections in promoting tumour growth. It adds to existing knowledge of similar mechanisms by specific viral and bacterial species.

These findings show that the presence and ratio of fungal species in cancer cells – the intratumour mycobiome – can, despite their low abundance, promote tumour progression by inducing an immunosuppressive microenvironment. This study adds to the observations that the mycobiome, as well as the microbiome, contributes towards a microenvironment that plays a critical role in promoting tumour progression, by diverting human immune-suppressing responses.

Liu N-N, Yi C-X, Wei L-Q, Zhou J-A, Jiang T, Hu C-C, et al.
The intratumor mycobiome promotes lung cancer progression via myeloid-derived suppressor cells
Cancer Cell, Published online 22 September 2023;
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2023.08.012