Context dependent interactions between protozoan infections and cancer biology-a retrospective review
Year: 2026
Type: review
Abstract: Protozoan infections can influence tumor biology through immune modulation, effects on tumor cells and vasculature, and changes in mucosal homeostasis. The supporting evidence, however, differs substantially among organisms and experimental settings. Selected studies of Toxoplasma gondii, Plasmodium species, and Trypanosoma cruzi demonstrate tumor suppression in cell and animal models, including immune activation, altered myeloid-cell function, and inhibition of angiogenesis. Associations between intestinal or urogenital protozoa and human cancers are mainly observational and do not establish carcinogenesis. Malaria associated with Plasmodium falciparum in holoendemic areas provides a distinct cancer-associated context that cannot be equated with experimental antitumor interventions. This narrative review distinguishes population associations, mechanistic observations, causal evidence within experimental models, and human therapeutic investigation. It evaluates strain or subtype, infection burden and duration, tissue tropism, host immune status, and observation timing as candidate modifiers rather than universally validated determinants. Direct tumor-cell effects, vascular effects, and host-immune-mediated effects are considered separately. Particular attention is given to inconsistent Trichomonas vaginalis and Blastocystis findings, limitations of murine models, confounding and reverse causation, and the safety of live-organism approaches in immunocompromised patients. Registered Plasmodium-based oncology studies demonstrate clinical investigation, but registration does not establish therapeutic benefit. Most engineered parasites and parasite-derived platforms discussed remain preclinical. The proposed framework organizes heterogeneous evidence and identifies testable questions for safer translational research; it does not imply that natural protozoan infection provides a predictable clinical benefit.
Source: Frontiers in Immunology
Language: English
Subfield: Parasitology
Field: Immunology and Microbiology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $3,801
Funder: Dalian Medical University
OpenAlex ID: W7221073291