Analysing the oral microbiome could help diagnose colon and stomach tumours, according to a study
A team of researchers in South Korea has analysed the oral and faecal microbiomes of just over 507 volunteers and has concluded that, in patients with gastric and colorectal cancer, there is a greater transfer of microbes from the mouth to the gut. Furthermore, not only does this transfer differ between tumour types, but, according to their findings, an analysis based on oral samples is capable of detecting colorectal cancer with greater sensitivity than the standard faecal occult blood test. However, “before it can be used in practice, clinical trials would need to be carried out in real-world screening populations”, the authors explain. The study is published in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.
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