Unraveling the link between microorganisms and glioma: a scoping review protocol

M. Dulce Estêvão, Escola Superior de Saúde, Universidade do Algarve (ESSUAlg), Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal; Algarve Biomedical Centre Research Institute (ABC-Ri), Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal
Iván Pérez-Neri, Evidence Synthesis Unit, Instituto Nacional de Rehabilitación Luis Guillermo Ibarra Ibarra, Mexico City, Mexico
Mónica Teotónio-Fernandes, Escola Superior de Saúde, Universidade do Algarve (ESSUAlg), Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal; Algarve Biomedical Centre Research Institute (ABC-Ri), Campus de Gambelas, Faro, Portugal

Glioblastomas, highly malignant primary brain tumors, comprise ~50% of gliomas. Knowledge on their prevention, early detection, and treatment is scarce, making understanding their etiology and therapy resistance crucial. Recent evidence controversially suggests a link between brain microorganisms and cancer development. This protocol outlines a systematic scoping review to identify microorganism species associated with gliomas, potential pathogenetic mechanisms, and analytical procedures employed. Studies will be retrieved from Web of Science, MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar. We will include studies reporting on diagnosed gliomas, microorganism presence in tumors, oncogenic mechanisms (any model), and analyses of biopsies/resected tumors. Exclusions include other brain tumors/body fluids, therapeutic microorganism use, non-original research, articles not in English/Spanish/Portuguese if untranslatable, and irretrievable full texts. A narrative summary will synthesize available data.

Keywords: Glioblastoma. Microorganism-glioblastoma interactions. Microorganism-related mechanisms.