The language microbiome could help identify patients with early-stage pancreatic cancer

The differences in abundance of some living bacteria on the tongue can distinguish patients with early pancreatic cancer from healthy individuals, according to findings from a new study published in the Oral Microbiology Journal.

Although disturbances of the microbiome – the population of microorganisms living in and on our body – have already been identified in patients with pancreatic cancer in other body tissues, it is important to note that is the first evidence of bacterial changes in the lining of the tongue. If confirmed by larger studies, this could pave the way for the development of new early warning or life-saving prevention tools to save this very aggressive disease.

Nearly 10,000 people are diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in the UK each year, with less than 1% surviving beyond ten years. Early diagnosis can dramatically improve the chances of successful treatment – but this poses problems for this disease as it develops deep in the body and often has few symptoms before it has already spread. As a result, most patients already have advanced illness when they seek medical help.

Researchers are looking for biological modifications that can accurately detect the early signs of pancreatic cancer, which could be transformed into new screening tests. A current topical issue is the potential role of the microbiome in cancer development, with previous studies identifying dramatic bacterial disturbances in saliva, intestinal and stool specimens collected at home. patients with pancreatic cancer compared to healthy individuals.

In the first study aimed at characterizing the microbiome of the tongue in patients with pancreatic cancer, a team of researchers recruited a group of 30 patients with early-stage disease (diagnosed with a tumor positioned in the region of the "head" of the pancreas) and the like. group of 25 people in good health. Participants were all between the ages of 45 and 65, had no other diseases or oral health problems and had not taken any antibiotics or other medications in the three months prior to the study.

The team used sophisticated gene sequencing technologies to examine the microbiomic diversity of language coat samples, concluding that patients with pancreatic cancer were colonized by microbiomes extremely different from the language coating. compared to healthy individuals.

Lead author, Lanjuan Li, of Zhenjiang University, China, said: "Although further confirmatory studies are needed, our findings add to the evidence of more in addition many of a link between the disturbances of the microbiome and pancreatic cancer. "

Strikingly, the abundance of four types of bacteria – low levels of Haemophilus and Porphyromonas and high levels of Leptotrichie and Fusobacterium – could distinguish patients with pancreatic cancer from healthy individuals.

"If larger studies confirm an badociation between the discriminating bacterium and pancreatic cancer, this could potentially lead to the development of new tools for early diagnosis or prevention of disease based on the microbiome," said Dr. Li.

The research team hypothesized that the immune system is the most likely link between confirmed changes in the microbiome and pancreatic cancer – for example, the development of the disease in the pancreas can influence the immune response of the pancreas. to promote the growth of certain bacteria – or vice versa. If proven, this could pave the way for the development of new treatment strategies using antibiotics or immunotherapies – or even probiotics that may contribute to the prevention of pancreatic cancer in patients with high risk.

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