Microbiota Profile and Impact of Fusobacterium nucleatum in Colorectal Cancer Patients of Barretos Cancer Hospital

Microbial diversity has been pointed as a major factor in the development and progression of colorectal cancer (CRC). We sought to explore the richness and abundance of the microbial community of a series of colorectal tumor samples treated at Barretos Cancer Hospital, Brazil, through 16S rRNA sequencing. The presence and the impact of Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) DNA in CRC prognosis was further evaluated by qPCR in a series of 152 colorectal cancer cases. An enrichment for potentially oncogenic bacteria in CRC was observed, with Fusobacterium being the most abundant genus in the tumor tissue. In the validation dataset, Fn was detected in 35/152 (23.0%) of fresh-frozen tumor samples and in 6/57 (10.5%) of paired normal adjacent tissue, with higher levels in the tumor (p=0.0033). Fn DNA in the tumor tissue was significantly associated with proximal tumors(p=0.001), higher depth of invasion (p=0.014), higher clinical stages (p=0.033), poor-differentiation (p=0.011), MSI-positive status (p
Source: Frontiers in Oncology - Category: Cancer & Oncology Source Type: research