Parvimonas micra as a putative non-invasive faecal biomarker for colorectal cancer

Abstract

The use of faecal microbial markers as non-invasive biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) has been suggested, but not fully elucidated. Here, we have evaluated the importance of Parvimonas micra as a potential non-invasive faecal biomarker in CRC and its relation to other microbial biomarkers. The levels of P. micra, F. nucleatum and clbA + bacteria were quantified using qPCR in faecal samples from a population-based cohort of patients undergoing colonoscopy due to symptoms from the large bowel. The study included 38 CRC patients, 128 patients with dysplasia and 63 controls. The results were validated in a second consecutive CRC cohort including faecal samples from 238 CRC patients and 94 controls. We found significantly higher levels of P. micra in faecal samples from CRC patients compared to controls. A test for P. micra could detect CRC with a specificity of 87.3% and a sensitivity of 60.5%. In addition, we found that combining P. micra with other microbial markers, could further enhance test sensitivity. Our findings support the potential use of P. micra as a non-invasive biomarker for CRC. Together with other microbial faecal markers, P. micra may identify patients with “high risk” microbial patterns, indicating increased risk and incidence of cancer.

Metagenomic analysis of primary colorectal carcinomas and their metastases identifies potential microbial risk factors

“…to promote the formation of metastases [11,82]. F. nucleatum and P. micra are commonly enriched in CRC sections [83][84][85], and a recent microbiome study reported the enrichment of of vaginosis [101], suggesting a potential pathogenic role or an association with dysbiosis.…”

Gut Microbiota as Potential Biomarker and/or Therapeutic Target to Improve the Management of Cancer: Focus on Colibactin-Producing Escherichia coli in Colorectal Cancer

“…Given the link between gut microbiota dysbiosis and CRC [ 21 ], microbial markers have recently emerged as a promising indicator in early CRC screening (cf Table 1 ). Known specific oncogenic gut bacteria have been assessed individually from both fecal and mucosal samples from patients with CRC, including strains of Bacteroides fragilis , Escherichia coli , Enterococcus faecalis , Streptococcus gallolyticus, and Fusobacterium nucleatum [ 16 , 17 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. Over the last few years, many studies using sequencing methods with whole-genome shotgun (WGS) and/or 16S RNAr DNA sequencing have also highlighted several signatures (mostly in feces) between individuals with CRC and healthy control subjects [ 13 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ].…”

“…Differences were not affected when controlling for potential confounding by age, body mass index (BMI) or sex (40). These identified polymicrobial signatures could potentially be harnessed as screening biomarkers for CRC [ 25 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ] (cf. Table 1 ).…”

The Airway Microbiota of Non-small-cell Lung Cancer Patients and its Relationship to Tumor Stage and EGFR Gene Mutation

“…On the other hand, other evidences suggested that some specific bacterium such as genus Parvimonas may cause the EGFR mutation. Currently, several evidences suggested that Parvimonas micra, a member of genus Parvimonas, was enriched in patients with colon cancer [68,69]. Interestingly, in vitro study demonstrated that infection of Parvimonas micra could enhance the ability of human inflammatory cells to generate reactive oxygen species and caused DNA damage of human cells [70], which could cause oncogene mutation and carcinogenesis.…”