{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,18]],"date-time":"2026-08-18T14:48:43Z","timestamp":1787064523356,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":100,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,11]],"date-time":"2021-06-11T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1623369600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JPM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The microbial colonization of the lower female reproductive tract has been extensively studied over the past few decades. In contrast, the upper female reproductive tract including the uterine cavity and peritoneum where the ovaries and fallopian tubes reside were traditionally assumed to be sterile under non-pathologic conditions. However, recent studies applying next-generation sequencing of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene have provided convincing evidence for the existence of an upper female reproductive tract microbiome. While the vaginal microbiome and its importance for reproductive health outcomes has been extensively studied, the microbiome of the upper female reproductive tract and its relevance for gynecologic cancers has been less studied and will be the focus of this article. This targeted review summarizes the pertinent literature on the female reproductive tract microbiome in gynecologic malignancies and its anticipated role in future research and clinical applications in personalized medicine.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jpm11060546","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,11]],"date-time":"2021-06-11T12:44:37Z","timestamp":1623415477000},"page":"546","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":29,"title":["The Female Reproductive Tract Microbiome\u2014Implications for Gynecologic Cancers and Personalized Medicine"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Anthony E.","family":"Rizzo","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jennifer C.","family":"Gordon","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Division of Gynecologic Oncology, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2210-0577","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alicia R.","family":"Berard","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W2, Canada"},{"name":"Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Adam D.","family":"Burgener","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB R3E 0W2, Canada"},{"name":"Center for Global Health and Diseases, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"},{"name":"Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"},{"name":"Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stefanie","family":"Avril","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"},{"name":"Department of Pathology, Case Western Reserve University and University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,11]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"804","DOI":"10.1038\/nature06244","article-title":"The Human Microbiome Project","volume":"449","author":"Turnbaugh","year":"2007","journal-title":"Nature"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Integrative HMP (iHMP) Research Network Consortium (2014). 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