Swish your way to early cancer detection?
Researchers at Rutgers believe a simple oral rinse may be key to the early detection of gastric cancer, also known as stomach cancer. In a study scheduled for presentation at Digestive Disease Week later this month, the Rutgers team suggests oral bacteria alone could serve as biomarkers for gastric cancer risk.
Dr. Shruthi Reddy Perati, study author and general surgery resident at Rutgers, reports that she and her team see that the oral microbiome and the stomach microbiome are connected, and knowing what bugs are in your mouth tells us what the stomach environment is like. That has a huge implication that could lead to some practice-changing tests and guidelines.”
The fourth leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, gastric cancer is notoriously hard to detect in its early stages and frequently misdiagnosed as it progresses.
According to Moffitt Cancer Center, “As the cancer progresses, the symptoms that do appear can be misdiagnosed as normal gastrointestinal issues. As a result, stomach cancer can go undetected for years before the symptoms become concerning enough to warrant diagnostic testing.”
Recent research suggests that single people are at a higher risk of developing stomach cancer.
Perati imparts, “No formal screening guidelines for gastric cancer are available in the United States, and more than half of patients with gastric cancer receive a diagnosis when the cancer is already at an advanced stage.”
Perati and a team of researchers analyzed bacteria samples from the mouths of patients scheduled for endoscopy. Of this test group, 30 were known to have gastric cancer, 30 had premalignant gastric conditions and 38 were healthy controls.
The Rutgers team found significant differences between the oral microbes of the healthy group and those belonging to the cancerous and pre-cancerous patients. Additionally, researchers found little difference between the bacteria samples of the cancerous and pre-cancerous patients, indicating that changes in the microbiome may occur as soon as the stomach environment develops preconditions for cancer.
“Even with a small cohort, we were able to see some stark differences and believe the findings are very promising,” Perati said.
Perati maintains that like all cancers, early detection is crucial to successful treatment. “In the cancer world, if you find patients after they’ve developed cancer, it’s a little too late. The ideal time to try to prevent cancer is when it’s just about to turn into cancer,” she said. “We were able to identify people who had pre-cancerous conditions. As a screening and prevention tool, this has enormous potential.”
