Flemer et al. profiled the microbiota in oral swabs, colonic mucosa samples and stool from individuals with either colorectal cancer (CRC; n = 99), colorectal polyps (n = 32) or healthy individuals as controls (n = 103). They found that several oral taxa (such as Streptococcus and Prevotella spp.) were differentially abundant in CRC versus controls. Moreover, they developed a classification model based on oral swab microbiota that distinguished individuals with CRC or polyps from controls (sensitivity: 53% CRC, 67% polyps; specificity: 96%). Importantly, when data from both faecal and oral swab microbiota were considered in this model, the sensitivity increased to 76% for CRC and 88% for polyps, respectively. Finally, high abundance of Lachnospiraceae was negatively correlated with a Western diet and colonization of colonic tissue with oral bacteria (including oral pathogens associated with CRC), hinting at a possible protective role for certain microbiota types. The authors postulate that analysing the oral microbiome could be an alternative method to screening for CRC.
References
Flemer, B. et al. The oral microbiota in colorectal cancer is distinctive and predictive. Gut http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2017-314814 (2017)
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Ray, K. Oral microbiome could provide clues to CRC. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 14, 690 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2017.158
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrgastro.2017.158