Environmental pollutants and bad bugs work hand in glove.

'Bad bacteria' could alter the toxicokinetics of environmental pollutants, thereby exacerbating chemically induced tumorigenesis. Recently, Roje et al. reported that specific gut microbiota can metabolize nitrosamine compounds to a toxic oxidation product, aggravating bladder cancer development and progression. These findings have important implications for tumor intervention through the gut microbiota.