Eco-Evolutionary Dynamics of Tumor-Associated Microbiomes

Tumors are complex ecosystems where cancer cells, stromal components, immune populations, and diverse microbial communities co-exist and co-evolve. Emerging evidence shows that bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms colonizing primary and metastatic tumors can shape local immunity, metabolic landscapes, genomic instability, and clinical outcomes. These tumor-associated microbiomes are not passive passengers: they may influence carcinogenesis, progression, and response to chemo-, radio-, targeted, and immuno-therapies across both human and veterinary oncology. Yet, we still lack an integrative understanding of how ecological principles and evolutionary forces structure microbial communities within tumors, how these communities adapt to therapeutic perturbations, and how host genetics, tissue niches, and environmental exposures jointly shape tumor–microbe interactions. Addressing these questions requires cross-disciplinary work spanning ecology, evolution, microbiology, cancer biology, and systems medicine.This Research Topic aims to establish an eco-evolutionary framework for understanding tumor-associated microbiomes and their impact on cancer biology and therapy. We seek contributions that move beyond descriptive catalogs of microbes to mechanistic and conceptual studies explaining how selection, drift, dispersal, and species interactions operate within tumor ecosystems. Of particular interest are works that dissect how microbial communities adapt to changing microenvironments, including hypoxia, nutrient limitation, immune pressure, and therapeutic interventions, and how these dynamics feed back on tumor evolution and host fitness.We welcome studies that leverage longitudinal sampling, experimental evolution, animal models, and in silico approaches to reveal how tumor-associated microbiomes contribute to phenotypes such as immune evasion, metastasis, and treatment resistance or sensitivity. By integrating ecological and evolutionary thinking with cutting-edge multi-omics and imaging, this collection aims to identify general principles and actionable targets that can guide microbiome-informed diagnostics and interventions in oncology.We invite Original Research, Methods, Brief Research Reports, Reviews, Mini-Reviews, Hypothesis and Theory, and Perspectives. Submissions may cover, but are not limited to:·Ecological structure and temporal dynamics of tumor-associated microbiomes in human and animal cancers·Co-evolution between tumor cells, immune populations, and microbes·Microbial metabolites and functional pathways shaping tumor metabolism and immune responses·Microbiome-mediated mechanisms of therapy response, resistance, and toxicity·Comparative oncology and cross-species insights into tumor–microbe ecosystems·Computational, statistical, and experimental tools for inferring eco-evolutionary processes in tumor microbiomes·Translational applications, including microbial biomarkers, synthetic communities, and microbiome-targeted interventionsStudies spanning in vitro, in vivo, clinical, and population-level scales are encouraged, particularly those integrating multi-omics, spatial, and longitudinal data to uncover causal mechanisms and predictive models. Topic editors: Yuhang Wang, Dr. Muhammad Ishtiaq Ali, Xian Wu, Benjamin Jerry Ridenhour Source: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/80711/eco-evolutionary-dynamics-of-tumor-associated-microbiomes