Mouth bacteria is strongly linked to gastric cancer risk in new research

New research suggests a strong association between oral bacteria and gastric cancer.

The study, published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine, looked at the gut microbiome found in stool and the oral microbiome from saliva and tongue.

China-based researchers at BGI Genomics analyzed 404 samples from Chinese patients with gastric cancer in one group and chronic gastritis in another.

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Gut microbes were different in gastric cancer, the researchers found, revealing 28 different gut species.

Most were oral bacteria, including streptococci – bacteria that can sometimes cause strep throat – lactobacilli and other lactic acid bacteria.

The study found that oral bacteria in gastric cancer patients matched gut bacteria, suggesting transmission. (iStock)

Twenty oral gut species were found in saliva and stool and were most common in the intestine of gastric cancer patients.

The results suggest transmission of these bacteria from the mouth to the gut, after finding that oral bacteria closely matched gut bacteria from the same person, based on genetic comparisons.

Researchers suggest that saliva and stool samples could help identify patterns linked to stomach cancer, although more research is needed before the tests are ready for clinical use.

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“Collectively, these findings highlight the critical role of the oral-gut microbiome axis in [gastric cancer]”, concluded the researchers in the publication of the study.

Since this is a cross-sectional analysis, the results cannot prove that these bacteria cause cancer, but they suggest a strong association.

The results of the new study cannot prove that these bacteria cause cancer, but they suggest a strong association, the researchers said. (iStock)

Dr. Brian Slomovitz, director of gynecologic oncology and co-chair of the Cancer Research Committee at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, Florida, spoke about the “initiator-promoter” model of this study in an interview with Fox News Digital.

“[The study] demonstrates how the microbiome in one area of ​​the body can migrate and affect the ability of cancers to grow in another part of the body,” said Slomovitz, who was not involved in the new study.

“It is very important that we work towards a healthy gut microbiome to reduce the risk of inflammation and cancer.”

“The initiator of gastric cancers is usually inflammatory, such as H. pylori infection,” he continued.

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“This inflammation leads to damaged mucosal cells where lactic acid-producing bacteria can colonize. This helps explain why cancers still develop even after treatment for an H. pylori infection.”

The new findings could be applied to using saliva for early cancer detection, Slomovitz suggested, which could help identify disease even in precancerous states.

“There is a correlation between bacteria in the gut and neurogenerative diseases and increased risk of cancer,” said a leading doctor.

“Perhaps we will learn that by changing the microbiome we can help better treat cancers (in combination with immunotherapy or chemotherapy) or even prevent cancer,” he said.

“These results will lay the foundation for future research. However, we are not ready to integrate them into clinical practice.”

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Fox News senior medical analyst Dr. Marc Siegel also separately weighed in on the study, noting that awareness of the importance of the gut microbiome on overall health has increased.

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“There is a correlation between bacteria in the gut and neurogenerative diseases and increased risk of cancer,” he told Fox News Digital.

“It is very important that we work towards a healthy gut microbiome to reduce the risk of inflammation and cancer.”