SABCS 2020 | The role of gut microbiome in breast cancer risk

Timothy Robinson, MBBS, PhD, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK, discusses the possible role of the gut microbiome in breast cancer risk. He focuses on a study which used Mendelian randomization to find links between the genetic variants that are associated with specific features of the gut microbiome and breast cancer risk. The data used was taken from a genome-wide association study of over 100,000 cases of breast cancer that was published earlier this year. While some associations were identified, further research is needed to validate them. Potentially dangerous effects of targeting the gut microbiome in cancer treatment must also be taken into consideration. This interview was recorded via an online conference call with The Video Journal of Oncology (VJOncology).