Development of colorectal cancer detection and prediction based on gut microbiome big-data

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common gastrointestinal cancers. 90% patients in the early stages of colorectal cancer can survive at least 5 years. However, most patients are diagnosed at terminal stages due to insignificant symptoms in early times and the traumatic pathological diagnosis methods. Previous studies have reported that the gut microbiome differs between healthy and colorectal cancer patients, which opens a new door to non-invasive diagnostic methods. The key prerequisite for colorectal cancer detection using the gut microbiome is the identification of effective markers. In this mini-review, we summarized the existing approaches of colorectal cancer screening based on gut microbiome in experimental design, markers selection and identification methods, and also proposed potential solutions to colorectal cancer detection and prediction using the gut microbiome, which could potentially improve detection accuracy as well as reduce costs.