Decoding the microbiome: artificial intelligence-targeted gut microenvironment breakthroughs in personalized cancer therapy

The gut microbiome functions as a key regulator of tumorigenesis and progression, thereby modulating tumor development and treatment outcomes (including chemoresistance, immunotherapy efficacy, and adverse effects) through its influence on the immune microenvironment and metabolite-mediated signaling pathways. Recent advances in multiomics technologies (metagenomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics) have generated large-scale, comprehensive, and heterogeneous datasets whose complexity exceeds the capabilities of manual analysis, thus necessitating the implementation of artificial intelligence-based approaches. This review systematically examines the crucial role of the gut microbiome in tumorigenesis, with particular emphasis on colorectal cancer (CRC), specifically addressing its utility as a diagnostic and prognostic biomarker. Furthermore, building upon existing applications of artificial intelligence (AI) in microbiome research and cancer diagnosis and treatment, this review presents an AI-driven precision intervention framework and delineates personalized treatment strategies.