The presence of certain bacteria in the mouth may indicate increased risk for pancreatic cancer, according to a study conducted at NYU Langone Medical Center and its Laura and Isaac Perlmutter Cancer Center, both in New York City.
For the study, researchers compared bacterial contents in mouthwash samples from 361 American men and women who developed pancreatic cancer with samples from 371 people who did not.
Here are three notes:
1. The researchers found that men and women whose oral microbiomes included Porphyromonas gingivalis had an overall 59 percent greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those whose microbiomes did not contain the bacterium.
2. Also, oral microbiomes containing Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans were at least 50 percent more likely overall to develop the disease.
3. According to Jiyoung Ahn, PhD, senior investigator and epidemiologist, noted that their study is the first to offer "direct evidence that specific changes in the microbial mix in the mouth — the oral microbiome — represent a likely risk factor for pancreatic cancer."