Possibility of Probiotic in Colorectal Cancer: A Specific Countenance to Research

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the most deadly groups of diseases. Apart from genetic mutations, other aspects such as environmental factors, unhealthy lifestyle and poor diet cause distress in gastrointestinal environment by changing physio-biochemical properties of luminal content which provides favourable environment for carcinogenesis. Administration of probiotics is helpful in prevention of carcinogenesis along with maintenance of microbial balance. They modulate patient’s gut during systemic cancer therapy and suppress oncogenic properties of the tumour cells by manipulating enzymes involved in mucosal immune response, inflammatory pathways, cell differentiation and proliferations. This chapter highlights huge scientific importance of probiotics as bio-therapeutics in cure and early prevention from CRC, with recent findings on anticancer effects, in vitro cell line and in vivo animal studies, safety and regulatory issues, challenges, precautions and future directions.