Largest study yet reveals which cancers have their own microbiomes

12 hours ago

Cancer was traditionally seen as a purely human disease, but recent research suggests some tumors host communities of bacteria, viruses, and fungi, known as the microbiome.
The field has faced contradictions and retractions, lacking a clear benchmark, which is critical because false signals can waste resources and patient samples.
A study using Genomics England's 100,000 Genomes Project found most cancers (e.g., brain, breast, kidneys) lack a distinguishable microbiome, likely due to contamination in earlier studies.
However, cancers of the mouth, esophagus, stomach, and bowel showed clear evidence of microbial life, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, archaea, and even parasites like trichomonas.
The microbial mix varied by cancer location and was linked to factors like cancer subtype and genetic mutations.
Distinguishing real microbes from contamination was challenging; the study filtered human DNA and compared microbial signals across cancer types to identify lab contaminants like skin bacteria.
The large dataset enabled rigorous filtering, and the findings are shared as open-source software to help other researchers apply the same methods.
This research aims to resolve past conflicts and focus efforts on understanding how microbial communities in digestive tract cancers affect tumor development and treatment response.

Hasty Briefsbeta