Oral Microbes Linked to Pancreatic Cancer Risk

A group of 27 species of bacteria and fungi commonly found in the human mouth has been associated with changes in pancreatic cancer risk, according to a study led by NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center. The research represents the most comprehensive analysis to date connecting the oral microbiome to this aggressive cancer.

The study analyzed saliva samples from 122,000 healthy participants collected during the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial. Researchers tracked participants for an average of nine years, identifying 445 cases of pancreatic cancer. Comparing the microbial DNA in these cases with 445 cancer-free individuals, the team identified 24 bacterial and fungal species that either increased or decreased cancer risk. Three of these species were previously linked to periodontal disease.

For the first time, the study also implicated oral fungi, including Candida species, in pancreatic cancer. These fungi were detected in the tumors of patients, highlighting a potential role beyond bacteria in cancer development.

Yixuan Meng, Lead Author,  emphasized that the findings shed new light on how the oral microbiome could influence pancreatic cancer risk. Co-senior authors Jiyoung Ahn, and Richard Hayes, note that profiling oral microbes may allow oncologists to identify individuals at higher risk and guide early screening. Pancreatic cancer has few effective screening methods and remains one of the deadliest forms of the disease.

Researchers caution that the study identifies correlations rather than direct causation. Future work will examine whether oral viruses also affect cancer risk and how microbial composition may influence survival. 

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive cancers, with a five-year survival rate below 10%, reports the Mexican Association for the Fight Against Cancer.  In Mexico, about 4,500 cases are diagnosed annually, and 80% are identified at advanced stages.