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World J Gastroenterol. May 14, 2026; 32(18): 118267
Published online May 14, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i18.118267
Published online May 14, 2026. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v32.i18.118267
Longitudinal changes in the gut microbiota of Vietnamese patients with colorectal cancer undergoing surgery and chemotherapy
Hang Thi Thu Le, Tuan-Anh Tran, Tam Thi Thanh Tran, Department of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of Hanoi, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam
Hung Xuan Le, Department of Research Methodology and Biostatistics, Institute of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam
Hung Xuan Le, Olivier Thas, Data Science Institute, Interuniversity Institute for Biostatistics and Statistical Bioinformatics, Hasselt University, Diepenbeek 3590, Belgium
Dao Thi Huyen, Le Huu Song, Vietnamese-German Center for Medical Research, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam
Dao Thi Huyen, Le Huu Song, Pham Thi Tuyet Nhung, 108 Military Central Hospital, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam
Dong Van Quyen, Institute of Biology, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam
Thuan Van Tran, National Cancer Hospital and Vietnam National Cancer Institute, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam
Thuan Van Tran, Pham Thi Tuyet Nhung, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam
Co-first authors: Hang Thi Thu Le and Hung Xuan Le.
Co-corresponding authors: Pham Thi Tuyet Nhung and Tam Thi Thanh Tran.
Author contributions: Le HTT and Le HX contributed equally as co-first authors; Nhung PTT and Tran TTT contributed equally as co-corresponding authors; Nhung PTT and Tran TTT contributed to the conceptualization and study design; Le HTT, Huyen DT, Tran TA, Quyen DV, Song LH, Tran TV, Nhung PTT, and Tran TTT contributed to sample collection, methodology, and experimental work; Le HX, Nhung PTT, Thas O, and Tran TTT contributed to data analysis and interpretation; Le HTT, Le HX, Nhung PTT, and Tran TTT drafted the manuscript; all authors reviewed the draft, contributed to editing and approved the submitted version.
Supported by the Vietnam National Foundation for Science and Technology Development, No. 108.04-2021.22.
Institutional review board statement: The study was approved by the Hanoi Medical University Institutional Review Board (Approval No. 503/GCN-HĐĐĐNCYSH-ĐHYHN).
Informed consent statement: All study participants received a thorough explanation of the study’s objectives and signed a written informed consent before inclusion in the study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement—checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement—checklist of items.
Data sharing statement: Raw 16S rRNA gene sequencing data are available at the NCBI Sequence Read Archive, under BioProject PRJNA1367939.
Corresponding author: Tam Thi Thanh Tran, PhD, Department of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of Hanoi, Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, 18 Hoang Quoc Viet, Nghia Do Ward, Hanoi 10000, Viet Nam. tran-thi-thanh.tam@usth.edu.vn
Received: December 30, 2025
Revised: January 22, 2026
Accepted: February 26, 2026
Published online: May 14, 2026
Processing time: 128 Days and 2.4 Hours
Revised: January 22, 2026
Accepted: February 26, 2026
Published online: May 14, 2026
Processing time: 128 Days and 2.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Gut microbiota plays key roles in intestinal inflammation and tumor development, but also in shaping the anti-tumor immune responses. We longitudinally monitored the gut microbiota of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) at diagnosis, after surgery and after chemotherapy. Alpha diversity declined and the overall microbial composition (unweighted UniFrac distance) changed at the three timepoints. Overall, CRC-associated pathogens and short-chain fatty acid-producing bacteria were decreased at post-treatment timepoints. Collectively, these results underscore the clinical potential of microbiota-targeted approaches to strengthen the gut barrier and enhance chemotherapy efficacy.