Research finds possible link between bacteria and bowel cancer

New research from the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences has discovered a possible relationship between the presence of a specific type of bacteria found in tumors and the spread of bowel cancer.

Published in the leading journal of gastroenterology Intestine, research findings can help clinicians identify patients at risk for poorer outcomes and make decisions about treatment options for bowel cancer patients whose tumors are infected by the bacteria Fusobacterium nucleatum.

Thanks to genomic sequencing, researchers are now able to detect traces of infection by bacteria or other microbes in the tumors of patients that would previously have been undetectable. The research led by RCSI aimed to understand which tumors are infected with bacteria and what the role of a bacterial infection means in terms of disease progression.

Research has found that a collection of bacteria that normally live in the oral cavity infects intestinal tumors, changes the behavior of tumor cells, and can trigger the tumor to spread to other organs. The study suggests that there is a direct relationship between the presence of a bacteria called Fusobacterium nucleatum and the spread of bowel cancer leading to poorer outcomes for a subset of patients.

Principal Investigator Jochen Prehn, Professor of Physiology and Director of the Center for Systems Medicine at RCSI said: “An effective tool to help oncologists personalize treatment for colorectal cancer is urgently needed. “

This study demonstrates the role bacteria play in spreading bowel cancer in patients. We hope that these findings will improve diagnostics to improve the effectiveness of current treatment and help advance the use of new therapies for patients infected with this bacteria.

Jochen Prehn, Professor of Physiology, Director of the Center for Systems Medicine, RCSI

According to the Irish Cancer Society, nearly 3,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer in Ireland each year and globally, bowel cancer currently accounts for around 10% of newly diagnosed cancer cases (1, 9 million cases, WHO 2020).

In this collaborative study with Queens University Belfast, patient samples from Northern Ireland and over 600 Cancer Genome Atlas patients were analyzed. The Cancer Genome Atlas is an international program that analyzes genetic mutations responsible for types of cancer to help researchers and clinicians better understand the disease and how to treat it.

The study was supported by the RCSI and the Irish Center for High-End Computing (ICHEC) and funded by the Health Research Board, the Science Foundation Ireland and the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy (NI DfE).