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Watch your mouth!
Imbalances in our oral microbiome — the millions of bacteria, viruses and fungi that live in our mouth — have been linked to many systemic diseases, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes and certain cancers.
New research out of NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center ties over two dozen of these microbes to a higher risk of pancreatic cancer, one of the world’s deadliest diseases.
“Our findings provide new insight into the relationship between the oral microbiome and pancreatic cancer,” said study lead author Yixuan Meng, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
Meng’s team reports that the bacteria hitch a ride in swallowed saliva to the pancreas, an organ that plays a crucial role in digestion and blood sugar regulation.
For the study, researchers analyzed the bacterial and fungal DNA in the saliva of 122,000 people followed for roughly nine years to see if they developed tumors.
They compared the DNA of 445 pancreatic cancer patients to 445 randomly selected cancer-free study participants, accounting for cancer risk factors such as age, race and cigarette use.
The team identified 24 species of bacteria and fungi that increased or decreased pancreatic cancer risk.
Another three types of bacteria were already known to contribute to gum disease.
Gum disease — a bacterial infection that destroys the tissues supporting teeth — can release inflammatory markers into the bloodstream that may fuel pancreatic cancer by creating a pro-tumor environment.
The group of 27 microbes increased the chances of developing pancreatic cancer more than threefold.
“It is clearer than ever that brushing and flossing your teeth may not only help prevent periodontal disease but may also protect against cancer,” said co-senior study author Dr. Richard Hayes, a professor in the Department of Population Health.
The findings were published Thursday in the journal JAMA Oncology.
Hayes emphasized that more research is needed to establish a direct cause-and-effect link between mouth bacteria and pancreatic cancer.
“By profiling bacterial and fungal populations in the mouth, oncologists may be able to flag those most in need of pancreatic cancer screening,” said study co-senior author Jiyoung Ahn, a professor in the Departments of Population Health and Medicine at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 67,400 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year, and nearly 52,000 will die from the highly aggressive disease.
Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed late because there are no effective early screening tests and initial symptoms are often vague — if present at all.
The NYU Langone team plans to explore whether oral viruses could contribute to cancer and how the mouth’s microbiome may affect patients’ chances of survival.
