Introduction: Probiotics are living microorganisms that provide various health-beneficial impacts to their host when administered in adequate amounts. Common bacterial probiotics belong to Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium and induce anti-carcinogenic and anti-cancer effects by induction of apoptosis and modification of chemo/radiation therapy. In this attempt, we focused on the promising role of probiotics in cancer prevention and therapy. Search Method: Recent review articles including keywords probiotics, anti-cancer effects, anti-carcinogenic activity and combination therapy were extracted from databases Google Scholar, Web of Science and PubMed. Results: The use of probiotics as an adjuvant treatment has attracted a lot of attention in recent years. In a clinical study carried out on patients with cervical carcinoma, it was shown that combinatorial treatment with Lactobacillus casei and radiation enhanced tumor regression via the induction of immune response. Likewise, it was shown that treatment of colon carcinoma models with a mixture of Lactobacillus, Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus strains induced immunomodulatory effects and inhibited tumor progression. Moreover, co-treatment of lung carcinoma models with cisplatin and Lactobacillus enhanced chemotherapy efficacy. In an interesting drug delivery attempt, cisplatin and probiotic biomass induced better therapeutic effects on cervical cancer, which was due to the free-radical scavenging activity of probiotics. Another advantage of probiotics is that they control the population of pathogenic bacteria by producing antibacterial compounds. It was reported that probiotics decreased the density of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach, and thus, could be used for gastric adenocarcinoma treatment. Moreover, probiotics induce anticarcinogenic effects via reducing the conversion of pro-carcinogens to carcinogens, as well as lowering the level of β-glucosidase and nitro reductase. In this regard, it was shown that probiotic supplements prevented liver carcinoma by reducing aflatoxin exposure. Conclusion: Recent research has indicated the beneficial effects of probiotics in cancer prevention and treatment, which needs to be confirmed by clinical trials.

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