ORAL bacteria and fungi have been identified as risk factors for the development of pancreatic cancer, making them potential non-invasive biomarkers for identifying individuals at high risk. While the oral microbiota was previously believed to be involved in the development of pancreatic cancer, evidence was limited to small retrospective case-control studies and 16S amplicon sequencing.
Researchers conducted a cohort study using data from two epidemiological cohorts: the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort and the PLCO cancer screening trial. Oral samples were collected from 122,000 patients, and patients who developed pancreatic cancer were identified during follow-up.
Data showed that out of those who provided oral samples, 445 developed pancreatic cancer over a median follow-up of 8.8 years. They were matched with 445 controls, for a total of 890 participants (53.3% male; mean age: 67.2 years). Researchers identified three oral bacterial periodontal pathogens that were associated with increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer: Porphyromonas gingivalis, Eubacterium nodatum, and Parvimonas micra. Furthermore, a bacteriome-wide scan showed 13 bacteria associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer and eight associated with a decreased risk. When it came to fungi, the Candida genus was associated with an increased risk. The microbial risk scores for pancreatic cancer, which were calculated from the risk-associated bacterial and fungal species, were associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer (multivariate odds ratio per 1 SD increase in microbial risk scores: 3.44; 95% CI: 2.63–4.51).
The team concluded that oral bacteria and fungi were significant risk factors for the development of pancreatic cancer, showing promise as biomarkers to identify at-risk individuals, which could enable personalised prevention.
Reference
Meng Y et al. Oral bacterial and fungal microbiome and subsequent risk for pancreatic cancer. JAMA Oncol. 2025; DOI:10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.3377.
