Burke A, Sanyaolu A, Ray A. Bacteria in neoplastic diseases: A brief note on Wilms tumor. World J Exp Med 2025; 15(4): 108221 [DOI: 10.5493/wjem.v15.i4.108221]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Adekunle Sanyaolu, PhD, Professor, Biomedical Sciences, D’Youville University, 320 Porter Ave, Buffalo, NY 14201, United States. sanyakunle@hotmail.com
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Oncology
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Minireviews
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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 20, 2025 (publication date) through Dec 19, 2025
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World Journal of Experimental Medicine
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2220-315x
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Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
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Burke A, Sanyaolu A, Ray A. Bacteria in neoplastic diseases: A brief note on Wilms tumor. World J Exp Med 2025; 15(4): 108221 [DOI: 10.5493/wjem.v15.i4.108221]
World J Exp Med. Dec 20, 2025; 15(4): 108221 Published online Dec 20, 2025. doi: 10.5493/wjem.v15.i4.108221
Bacteria in neoplastic diseases: A brief note on Wilms tumor
Adam Burke, Adekunle Sanyaolu, Amitabha Ray
Adam Burke, Department of Family Medicine, Independence Health System, Latrobe, PA 15650, United States
Adekunle Sanyaolu, Amitabha Ray, Biomedical Sciences, School of Health Professions, D’Youville University, Buffalo, NY 14201, United States
Co-corresponding authors: Adekunle Sanyaolu and Amitabha Ray.
Author contributions: Ray A contributed to the study conception and designed the review; Burke A, Sanyaolu A, and Ray A performed the literature search, analysis, drafting, critical revision, and editing; Ray A supervised the complete article; and all authors read and approved the final version of the manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
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: Adekunle Sanyaolu, PhD, Professor, Biomedical Sciences, D’Youville University, 320 Porter Ave, Buffalo, NY 14201, United States. sanyakunle@hotmail.com
Received: April 9, 2025 Revised: May 12, 2025 Accepted: August 4, 2025 Published online: December 20, 2025 Processing time: 255 Days and 7.5 Hours
Abstract
Bacteria can be involved in the pathological processes of cancer in different manners - for instance, as an etiological factor or predisposing factor, in secondary infection, as well as modified bacteria or bacterial products in cancer treatment. The bacterial etiological connection or its role as a predisposing factor is mainly relevant to adult cancers, which are primarily associated with individual lifestyles and/or environmental issues. In contrast, genetic abnormalities are perhaps linked with tumorigenesis in the pediatric age group. Nonetheless, secondary infections significantly affect morbidity and mortality among pediatric cancer patients in spite of precautionary measures. On the other hand, bacterial products, i.e., toxins, are potential molecules for targeted cancer therapy. These therapeutic agents have two parts: Usually a receptor-binding antibody (e.g., anti-HER2 antibody) and a toxin (e.g., Pseudomonas exotoxin A). Similarly, several investigators have been trying to develop therapeutic approaches that target Wilms tumor 1 protein, whose dysregulation is thought to be fundamentally responsible for the pathogenesis of Wilms tumor, the most common kidney tumor of childhood. However, the overexpression of Wilms tumor 1 protein has been documented in many cancer tissues - both solid tumors and hematological malignancies. This article briefly reviews both the pathological and clinical characteristics of Wilms tumor along with relevant secondary infections.
Core Tip: This review describes different aspects of Wilms tumor, e.g., pathogenesis, epidemiology, immune responses, and complications, particularly secondary bacterial infections. The pertinent Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene and its protein play an important role in the embryogenesis of the kidney and the development of Wilms tumor. Interestingly, WT1 functions both as a tumor suppressor as well as an oncogenic factor, probably depending on the biological circumstances. Nevertheless, WT1 is overexpressed in several tumor tissues. For this reason, WT1-targeted strategies are potential areas in cancer therapy.
