Alterations of the Oral Microbiota Profiles in Chinese Patient With Oral Cancer

Abstract

Oral cancer is the most common malignant tumor in the oral and maxillofacial region, of which more than 90% is squamous cell carcinoma. The incidence of oral cancer is on the rise worldwide. An imbalance between the microorganism composition and its host may lead to the occurrence of oral malignant tumors. Accumulating evidence suggests that the oral microbiota plays an important role in oral cancer; however, the association between oral microbiota and oral cancer has not yet been comprehensively studied. In this study, metagenomic sequencing was used to compare the microbial composition of three groups of samples from Chinese patients with oral cancer, patients with precancerous lesion, and normal individuals. In terms of microbiota richness, the oral microbiota of patients with precancerous lesions was richer than that of oral cancer patients and healthy controls, whereas in terms of microbiota diversity, there was little difference between the three groups. The three groups of samples exhibited statistically significant differences in microbiota composition and metabolic function at the family, genus, and species levels (P < 0.05). The differentially enriched phylum in oral cancer samples was Bacteroidetes (P < 0.05). At the genus level, the main differentially enriched taxa were Prevotella, Peptostreptococcus, Carnobacterium, and Diastella (P < 0.05). The species level was differentially enriched in Prevotella intermedia and Peptostreptococcus stomatis (p < 0.05). The prediction of microbiota function shows that oral cancer is mainly associated with coenzyme A biosynthesis, phosphopantothenic acid biosynthesis, inosine 5’-phosphate degradation, and riboflavin biosynthesis. Furthermore, the increase in C-reactive protein level in oral cancer patients was found to be closely related to P. intermedia. Overall, oral bacterial profiles showed significant differences between the oral cancer group and normal group. Hence, microbes can be employed as diagnostic markers and treatment targets for oral cancer.

Exploring the microbiome of oral epithelial dysplasia as a predictor of malignant progression

“…It is also the first to compare the diversity between progressing and nonprogressing OED in a longitudinal design and to report on the functional potential of the bacteriome associated with risk of progression in OED. Our study has revealed that the bacterial make-up of the OED niche is similar to what has previously been described in the normal oral cavity, OPML and OSCC at the phylum and genus levels [29,60,[65][66][67]. We also found that although participant factors such as age or smoking status have an overall larger impact on the oral microbiome than progression status, once these are controlled for there are also small differences in the microbiome that can be attributed to progression status (Fig.…”

“…Given that our study design compared samples taken at an early stage of disease (mild /moderate OED), the lack of significant differences between P and NPs may indicate that changes in overall diversity as well as taxonomic shifts occur at later stages in progression, or perhaps detectable only after OSCC has been established. Further to this, a study looking at OSCC, normal, and OPML found that while OSCC samples clustered based on betadiversity, pre-cancer and normal samples were mixed, indicating that there was not a great difference in the diversity between these groups [65]. This may support the notion that microbial changes in diversity change at a later stage.…”

Oral Bacteriome and Mycobiome across Stages of Oral Carcinogenesis

“…For example, previous research indicated an important role of Fusobacterium and Capnocytophaga , two of the oral bacterial OTUs also found in this study, in the development of OSCC ( 21 , 22 ). In addition, this study showed that Prevotella intermedia was significantly enriched and distinct in all three OSCC sample types, which is consistent with the results of previous studies ( 23 ). P. intermedia , which carries and expresses interpain A, is a main cause of periodontitis ( 24 ).…”

Evaluation of Association of Oral Bacterial Profile with HBV and HCV Infection and T Lymphocyte Level in HIV-Positive Patients

“…As mentioned earlier, the fluctuations in the quantity of bacterial species in the oral flora can, in some instances, lead to periodontal [ 25 ] and malignant lesions [ 26 ]. This effect can be amplified when accompanied by other factors including NLRP3 in developing periodontitis [ 27 ] and genetic polymorphisms, such as MTHFR mutations, which is an important factor to consider for oral cancer [ 28 ].…”