Bacterial Toxins in the Management of Colon Cancer: Current Perspective

Cancer is a group of diseases defined by uncontrolled or abnormal cell growth and the second major cause of cancer-related demises worldwide. Colon cancer (CC) alone accounts for about 10% of global incidence and 4% lifetime risk. The conventional treatment options include surgery or chemotherapy, which have significant side effects. Therefore, new cancer treatment strategies must be updated, and new strategies should be developed to treat this deadliest disease. There has been a drive to search for new methods for preventing and treating CC. Studies have shown that bacteria have numerous advantages over traditional medications and could be used to treat CC with little or no adverse effects. Bacterial therapy to diminish cancer is one of the attractive and novel strategies. Bacterial therapy of CC involves bacteria as an anticancer agent with the ability to reduce tumor growth while reducing the growth of cancer stem cells. In this chapter, we will review in detail the promising role of bacterium and their toxin in the treatment of CC. We will also discuss the advantages and limitations. On the pinnacle of that, we will focus on the molecular processes of bacterial toxins, related signaling pathways, and their potential as an anticancer agent(s), specifically for the treatment of CC.