Increasing evidence indicates that intratumoural bacteria can have crucial roles in both the pathogenesis and treatment of cancer. In this Review, the authors discuss the characteristics of intratumoural bacteria and the emerging understanding of their tumour-promoting and antitumour activities. They also describe a range of innovative strategies that are being used to engineer bacteria for use in the treatment of cancer and summarize clinical trials of various bacteria-mediated cancer immunotherapies.
- Seong-Young Kwon
- Hien Thi-Thu Ngo
- Jung-Joon Min