Exogenous Sequences in Tumors and Immune Cells (Exotic): A Tool for Estimating the Microbe Abundances in Tumor RNA-seq Data

Abstract

The intrinsic tumor microbiome holds great potential for its ability to predict various aspects of cancer biology and as a target for rational manipulation. Here, we describe a tool to quantify microbes from within tumor RNA-seq and apply it to two independent datasets. We show new associations with clinical variables that justify biomarker uses and more experimentation into the mechanisms by which tumor microbiomes affect cancer outcomes.