Abstract
Fusobacterium nucleatum is associated with the progression of colorectal cancer. Thus, the possibility of preventing colorectal cancer or its progression by targeting F. nucleatum has been explored. As F. nucleatum is associated with periodontitis, we analysed whether treating periodontitis could influence F. nucleatum abundance in the colon. Patients with colorectal tumours who underwent colonoscopy were recruited. Patients diagnosed with periodontitis by a dentist were treated for approximately 3 months. Endoscopic resection of colorectal tumours was performed after periodontitis treatment, and resected tumours were pathologically classified as high-(HGD) or low-grade dysplasia (LGD). Saliva and stool samples were collected before and after the treatment. Of the 58 patients with colorectal tumours, 31 were included in the study, 16 showed improvement in periodontitis, and 11 showed no improvement. Stool F. nucleatum levels before treatment were significantly lower in the LGD group than in the HGD group. A significant decrease in faecal F. nucleatum levels was observed in patients who underwent successful treatment but not in those whose treatment failed. Salivary F. nucleatum levels were not altered in patients despite periodontal treatment. Thus, successful periodontitis treatment reduces stool F. nucleatum levels and may aid research on periodontitis and suppression of colorectal cancer development.
Highlights
Fusobacterium nucleatum is associated with the progression of colorectal cancer
When compared with the bacterial flora in normal tissues of healthy subjects, the bacterial flora in normal colon tissues of colorectal cancer patients was more enriched in F. nucleatum; the diversity of intestinal bacteria in colon cancer tissues was reported to be lower than that in normal tissues located at a distance from cancer tissues[5]
Written informed consent was obtained from 58 patients who underwent colonoscopy and were diagnosed with colorectal tumours
Summary
Fusobacterium nucleatum is associated with the progression of colorectal cancer. the possibility of preventing colorectal cancer or its progression by targeting F. nucleatum has been explored. Stool F. nucleatum levels before treatment were significantly lower in the LGD group than in the HGD group. Salivary F. nucleatum levels were not altered in patients despite periodontal treatment. Successful periodontitis treatment reduces stool F. nucleatum levels and may aid research on periodontitis and suppression of colorectal cancer development. Periodontitis has been considered a risk factor for systemic diseases such as diabetes, atherosclerosis, stroke, and fatty liver[9,10,11,12]. The development of these conditions may be attributed to an increase in the abundance of periodontitis-causing pathogens, which have been reported to cause hyper-endotoxemia[13]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call