Song S, Xu LS, Wang LQ, Zhou X, Jiang X, Li CP. Tumor-resident microorganisms as clinical biomarkers in primary liver cancer: A systematic review of current evidence. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(12): 112936 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i12.112936]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Xin Jiang, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China. jx10818030@zju.edu.cn
Research Domain of This Article
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Article-Type of This Article
Systematic Reviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Dec 15, 2025 (publication date) through Dec 14, 2025
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Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Gastrointestinal Oncology
ISSN
1948-5204
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Song S, Xu LS, Wang LQ, Zhou X, Jiang X, Li CP. Tumor-resident microorganisms as clinical biomarkers in primary liver cancer: A systematic review of current evidence. World J Gastrointest Oncol 2025; 17(12): 112936 [DOI: 10.4251/wjgo.v17.i12.112936]
Shuai Song, Lin-Qing Wang, Xiu Zhou, Chang-Ping Li, Department of Gastroenterology, The Affiliated Hospital of Southwest Medical University, Luzhou 646000, Sichuan Province, China
Li-Shan Xu, Department of Oncology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing 400042, China
Xin Jiang, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Xin Jiang and Chang-Ping Li.
Author contributions: Song S, Xu LS, and Wang LQ performed the systematic literature search, data extraction, and quality assessment; Song S and Zhou X conducted data analysis; Song S drafted the manuscript; Jiang X and Li CP conceived and designed the study; Jiang X provided critical revision of the manuscript; Li CP, as senior corresponding author, supervised the entire project and provided final approval. All authors reviewed and approved the final manuscript. Song S and Xu LS contributed equally to this work. The actual writing and preparation of this manuscript were completed during Song S's subsequent position in Jiang X's laboratory, where he continued to develop and refine his research findings. Given the significant and substantial contributions made by both principal investigators to different but equally important stages of this research project, all authors unanimously agree and strongly support that both Jiang X and Li CP should be formally designated as co-corresponding authors for this manuscript. This arrangement appropriately recognizes Li CP's crucial role in Song S's doctoral training and the foundational experimental work, as well as Jiang X's important contribution in supporting the manuscript preparation and providing additional research resources and intellectual input during the writing phase.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
PRISMA 2009 Checklist statement: The authors have read the PRISMA 2009 Checklist, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the PRISMA 2009 Checklist.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Xin Jiang, MD, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, No. 79 Qingchun Road, Hangzhou 310000, Zhejiang Province, China. jx10818030@zju.edu.cn
Received: August 11, 2025 Revised: September 14, 2025 Accepted: October 31, 2025 Published online: December 15, 2025 Processing time: 123 Days and 8.4 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Once considered sterile environments, hepatic malignancies are now recognized to harbor distinct microbial communities with significant clinical implications. This systematic review of 20 high-quality studies demonstrates that intratumoral microbes represent promising biomarkers across multiple applications in liver cancer. Specific bacterial taxa achieved exceptional diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve > 0.9), while microbial diversity patterns showed consistent prognostic associations with patient survival outcomes. Mechanistic investigations revealed microbe-mediated oncogenic pathway activation, immune modulation, and drug resistance mechanisms. These findings position tumor-resident microorganisms at the threshold of clinical translation, offering novel opportunities for precision diagnosis, prognostic stratification, and personalized treatment strategies in hepatic malignancy management.
