GUT MICROBIOTA and breast cancer show significant associations, with new research identifying distinct differences in microbial diversity and composition among untreated postmenopausal patients compared with controls.
Gut Microbiota and Breast Cancer Diversity
The gut microbiota plays a central role in immune regulation, gut epithelial integrity, and metabolic signalling, prompting interest in its role in cancer development. In this study, stool samples were collected from 27 treatment naïve postmenopausal patients with breast cancer of varying hormone receptor status and 25 postmenopausal individuals without breast cancer.
Analysis revealed significant differences in alpha diversity between all breast cancer groups and controls (padj=0.042), with particularly marked differences in those with ER+HER2- disease (padj=0.006).
Beta diversity analyses, assessed using principal coordinate analysis, also demonstrated significant separation between breast cancer cases and controls (padj=0.048), including within the same receptor defined subgroup (padj=0.036).
Microbial Composition Differences
Beyond overall diversity, the study identified specific microbial genera associated with breast cancer presence and subtype. Notably, Akkermansia, a genus linked to gut barrier function, was found to be reduced in patients with ER+HER2- breast cancer.
These compositional changes suggest that alterations in gut microbiota may be associated with both the development and progression of breast cancer.
The findings provide further evidence that microbial imbalance may influence systemic processes relevant to tumour biology.
Implications For Screening and Prevention
The observed differences in gut microbiota between untreated postmenopausal patients with breast cancer and controls highlight a potential avenue for future research into non-invasive biomarkers.
While causality cannot be established, these data suggest that microbiota profiling could contribute to improved screening or prevention strategies.
Further investigation is needed to clarify the mechanisms linking gut microbiota and breast cancer, as well as to determine whether targeted modulation of microbial communities could influence disease risk or progression.
Reference
Kabbej N et al. Differences in composition and diversity of the gut microbiota of post-menopausal breast cancer patients. Scientific Reports. 2026; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47558-8.
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