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©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jan 15, 2026; 18(1): 115309
Published online Jan 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i1.115309
Published online Jan 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i1.115309
Gut microbiota and the colorectal cancer tumor microenvironment: From carcinogenic mechanisms to therapeutic opportunities
Zi-Ke Chen, Jia-Wei Zhao, Yu-Gang Wang, Chen Wang, Min Shi, Department of Gastroenterology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200336, China
Co-first authors: Zi-Ke Chen and Jia-Wei Zhao.
Co-corresponding authors: Chen Wang and Min Shi.
Author contributions: Chen ZK and Zhao JW contribute equally to this study as co-first authors; Wang C and Shi M contribute equally to this study as co-corresponding authors; Chen ZK and Zhao JW were responsible for discussion and conception, writing first draft with references; Wang YG, Wang C and Shi M were responsible for oversight of the effort, discussion and conception, editing and approval of final draft.
Supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China, No. 82170638; Natural Science Foundation of the Science and Technology Commission of Shanghai Municipality, No. 23ZR1458300; Key Discipline Project of Shanghai Municipal Health System, No. 2024ZDXK0004; and Pujiang Project of Shanghai Magnolia Talent Plan, No. 24PJD098.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.
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: Min Shi, PhD, Department of Gastroenterology, Tongren Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, No. 1111 Xianxia Road, Changning District, Shanghai 200336, China. sm1790@shtrhospital.com
Received: October 15, 2025
Revised: November 5, 2025
Accepted: December 3, 2025
Published online: January 15, 2026
Processing time: 90 Days and 14.5 Hours
Revised: November 5, 2025
Accepted: December 3, 2025
Published online: January 15, 2026
Processing time: 90 Days and 14.5 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This minireview synthesizes current insights into how gut microbiota and their metabolites bidirectionally shape the colorectal cancer tumor microenvironment, moving beyond epithelial barrier disruption to delineate direct immunomodulatory effects on stromal and immune cells. We highlight the translational potential of microbiota-targeting strategies, such as fecal microbiota transplantation and engineered microbes, in reprogramming the immunosuppressive niche to overcome therapy resistance.