<p>Researchers at <a href="https://www.mdanderson.org/">The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center</a> have discovered that lactate-producing intratumoral bacteria drives resistance to <a href="https://www.mdanderson.org/treatment-options/radiation-therapy.html">radiation therapy</a>, suggesting that lactic acid-producing bacteria present in various cancers may serve as novel therapeutic targets. The study, published today in <a href="https://www.cell.com/cancer-cell/fulltext/S1535-6108(23)00328-8"><em>Cancer Cell</em></a>, reported that a particular bacterial species, <em>Lactobacillus iners </em><em>(L. iners)</em>, caused cancer cells to respond to radiation by rewiring metabolic signaling pathways to resist treatment. The researchers also found that <em>L. iners</em> was associated with poorer clinical outcomes in patients with <a href="https://www.mdanderson.org/cancer-types/cervical-cancer.html">cervical cancer</a>.</p>