A study, published in Gut, examined if colonic mucosa-associated taxa are orally derived and if oral microbiome screening is suitable for colorectal cancer.
Burkhardt Flemer, PhD, of Cork, Ireland-based APC Microbiome Institute, and colleagues profiled microbiota in oral swabs, colonic mucosae and stool from 99 CRC patients, 32 patients with colorectal polyps and 103 controls.
Here's what they found:
1. Oral taxa were abundant in CRC patients compared to the controls.
2. A classification model of oral swab microbiota could distinguish patients with CRC or polyps from the controls.
3. Researchers combined the data from faecal microbiota and oral swab microbiota which increased sensitivity.
4. A high abundance of Lachnospiraceae was negatively associated with colonization of colonic tissue. Researchers discovered the colonic tissue has oral-like bacterial networks, which they believe suggests certain microbiota have a protective role against CRC.
Researchers concluded, "The heterogeneity of CRC may relate to microbiota types that either predispose or provide resistance to the disease, and profiling the oral microbiome may offer an alternative screen for detecting CRC."