title: Microbiota and radiation-induced bowel toxicity: lessons from inflammatory bowel disease for the radiation oncologist.
abstract: New gastrointestinal symptoms are frequent after pelvic radiotherapy and can greatly affect the quality of life of cancer survivors. The effect of radiation on the intestinal microbiota, and the clinical implications of a modified microbial balance after radiotherapy are now beginning to emerge. In this Personal View, we show the importance of the microbiota for intestinal homoeostasis, and discuss the similarity between inflammatory bowel disease, which has been extensively researched, and radiation-induced gastrointestinal toxicity. By use of microbiota profiles for risk assessment and manipulation of the intestinal flora for prevention and treatment of radiation, enteropathy could become a reality and would be of substantial relevance to the increasing numbers of long-term cancer survivors.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK; Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; Instituto Gulbenkian Ciencia, Oeiras, Portugal. Electronic address: jferreira@icr.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Miguel R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Ferreira
authors.affiliation: Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Muls
authors.affiliation: Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK; Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Dearnaley
authors.affiliation: Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.
authors.forename: H Jervoise N
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Andreyev
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D007422:Intestines / Q000382:microbiology / Q000528:radiation effects*; D064307:Microbiota; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D011832:Radiation Injuries; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D013559:Symbiosis