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Peer-reviewedCC BYMLife

Rethinking the tumor microbiome: Methodological challenges and a framework for rigorous research.

  • Lingxuan Zhu1
  • Zhixing Deng1
  • Weiming Mou1,2
  • Gengwen Deng1,3
  • Hongyu Lu1,4
  • Liling Xu1
  • Shujia Lin1
  • Hongsen Huang1,3
  • Keren Wu1
  • Qiheng Liang1
  • Hao Li1
  • Ziwen Zheng1
2 more authors
  • Anqi Lin1
  • Peng Luo1,5,6
6 affiliations
  1. 1Department of Oncology, Zhujiang Hospital Southern Medical University Guangzhou China.
  2. 2Department of Urology, Shanghai General Hospital Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine Shanghai China.
  3. 3The First School of Clinical Medicine Southern Medical University Guangzhou China.
  4. 4The Second School of Clinical Medicine Southern Medical University Guangzhou China.
  5. 5Department of Microbiology, State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Centre for Infection, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine The University of Hong Kong Hong Kong China.
  6. 6Shantou University Medical College Shantou China.
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Abstract

The intratumoral microbiome, as an essential component of the tumor microenvironment, has attracted increasing attention in recent years. The tumor microbiota displays an intricate interplay with its biological behaviors. However, emerging controversies, including the retraction of Poore et al.'s article, highlight significant challenges within this field. These issues extend beyond questions of reliability in this particular work to challenge fundamental theoretical assumptions and methodological validity across the entire field of tumor microbiome research, profoundly impacting its future direction. Here, we systematically summarize and discuss the current challenges and limitations in tumor microbiome research. We further propose a series of practical optimization strategies and solutions, from microbial quantification to functional experiments, providing a comprehensive framework covering the entire workflow of tumor microbiome analysis. With ongoing technical progress and standardized protocols, tumor microbiome research is poised to deliver novel insights into tumor biology and contribute to the development of improved therapeutic strategies.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{zhu2026rethinking,
  title = {{Rethinking the tumor microbiome: Methodological challenges and a framework for rigorous research.}},
  author = {Lingxuan Zhu and Zhixing Deng and Weiming Mou and Gengwen Deng and Hongyu Lu and Liling Xu and Shujia Lin and Hongsen Huang and Keren Wu and Qiheng Liang and Hao Li and Ziwen Zheng and Anqi Lin and Peng Luo},
  journal = {MLife},
  year = {2026},
  month = oct,
  doi = {10.1002/mlf2.70107},
  url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948281},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Rethinking the tumor microbiome: Methodological challenges and a framework for rigorous research.
AU  - Lingxuan Zhu
AU  - Zhixing Deng
AU  - Weiming Mou
AU  - Gengwen Deng
AU  - Hongyu Lu
AU  - Liling Xu
AU  - Shujia Lin
AU  - Hongsen Huang
AU  - Keren Wu
AU  - Qiheng Liang
AU  - Hao Li
AU  - Ziwen Zheng
AU  - Anqi Lin
AU  - Peng Luo
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/26
JO  - MLife
DO  - 10.1002/mlf2.70107
UR  - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42948281
AB  - The intratumoral microbiome, as an essential component of the tumor microenvironment, has attracted increasing attention in recent years. The tumor microbiota displays an intricate interplay with its biological behaviors. However, emerging controversies, including the retraction of Poore et al.'s article, highlight significant challenges within this field. These issues extend beyond questions of reliability in this particular work to challenge fundamental theoretical assumptions and methodological validity across the entire field of tumor microbiome research, profoundly impacting its future direction. Here, we systematically summarize and discuss the current challenges and limitations in tumor microbiome research. We further propose a series of practical optimization strategies and solutions, from microbial quantification to functional experiments, providing a comprehensive framework covering the entire workflow of tumor microbiome analysis. With ongoing technical progress and standardized protocols, tumor microbiome research is poised to deliver novel insights into tumor biology and contribute to the development of improved therapeutic strategies.
SN  - 2097-1699
SN  - 2770-100X
ER  -