Vaginal microbiome and neoplasms of the female reproductive system: a marker or a factor of influence?

Literature review

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18370/2309-4117.2024.71.84-92

Keywords:

vaginal microbiome, neoplasms, female reproductive system, precancerous diseases, benign tumors, malignant tumors

Abstract

The study of the human microbiome is one of the most pertinent areas of science and medicine today. The impact of changes in the microbiome is widely discussed in the context of new approaches to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of many diseases. At the same time, approaches to the management of patients with precancerous and cancerous diseases are changing along with the discovery of new approaches to the management of this category of patients. Scientists all over the world are studying changes in the vaginal microbiome and its role in the female oncological pathology. This article contains the latest information in this direction.

It is known that the vaginal microbiome is predominantly composed of anaerobic and facultative anaerobic flora. Normally, the dominant bacteria in the vagina are lactobacilli. A decrease in the number of lactobacilli facilitates the penetration of pathogenic bacteria and the development of sexually transmitted diseases and precancerous transformations. Studies on the effectiveness of chemotherapy have shown that interventions in the vaginal-cervical microbiome can improve patient response to platinum-based drugs and enhance the therapeutic effect of chemotherapy. Several studies have reported an increased prevalence of Sneаthia spp. in the vaginal microbiome of patients with high-risk human papillomaviruses, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and invasive cervical carcinoma. Further research is needed on microbiome changes in vaginal and vulvar cancer.

The composition and functions of the vaginal microbiome have been shown to change in women with human papillomavirus. In future studies, it is necessary to conduct analyses in larger samples and more complex populations, taking into account differences in the clinical characteristics of women and focusing on dynamic changes in cancer occurrence, in order to understand the overall development of the disease and the general trend of microbiome changes in gynecological cancer. In addition, close attention should be paid to the development of individualized screening and treatment, and by studying differences in populations, screening and treatment plans can be more precisely formulated and have better results.

Author Biographies

V.V. Artyomenko, Odessa National Medical University, Odesa

MD, professor, Obstetrics and Gynecology Department

N.M. Nastradina, Odesa National Medical University, Odesa

PhD, associate professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

V.O. Chikanchi, Maternity hospital No. 5, Odesa

Obstetrician-gynecologist

S.R. Iacoban, Polizu Clinical Hospital; Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Bucharest

Postgraduate student, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology

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2024-03-15

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Artyomenko, V., Nastradina, N., Chikanchi, V., & Iacoban, S. (2024). Vaginal microbiome and neoplasms of the female reproductive system: a marker or a factor of influence? Literature review. REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY, (71), 84–92. https://doi.org/10.18370/2309-4117.2024.71.84-92

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No. 71 (2024)

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Tumors and pretumoral pathology

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Copyright (c) 2024 В.В. Артьоменко, Н.М. Настрадіна, В.О. Чіканчі, S.R. Iacoban

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