Abstract
Chronic inflammation caused by infections has been suggested to be one of the most important cause of cancers. It has recently been shown that there is correlation between intestinal bacteria and cancer development including metastasis. As over 700 bacterial species exist in an oral cavity, it has been concerning that bacterial infection may cause oral cancer. However, the role of bacteria regarding tumorigenesis of oral cancer remains unclear. Several papers have shown that Fusobacterium species deriving the oral cavities, especially, play a crucial role for the development of colorectal and esophageal cancer. F. nucleatum is a well-known oral bacterium involved in formation of typical dental plaque on human teeth and causing periodontal diseases. The greatest characteristic of F. nucleatum is its ability to adhere to various bacteria and host cells. Interestingly, F. nucleatum is frequently detected in oral cancer tissues. Moreover, detection of F. nucleatum is correlated with the clinical stage of oral cancer. Although the detailed mechanism is still unclear, Fusobacterium species have been suggested to be associated with cell adhesion, tumorigenesis, epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, inflammasomes, cell cycle, etc. in oral cancer. In this review, we introduce the reports focused on the association of Fusobacterium species with cancer development and progression including oral, esophageal, and colon cancers.
Highlights
Oral cancer, predominantly oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), is a significant health problem and is regarded as the main cause of death from oral diseases in many countries
We introduce the reports focused on the association of Fusobacterium species with cancer development and progression including oral, esophageal, and colon cancers
Some commensal bacteria including Peptostreptococcus anaerobius [6], enterotoxigenic Bacteriodes fragiles [7], and Escherichia coli [8] are involved in carcinogenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC)
Summary
Predominantly oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), is a significant health problem and is regarded as the main cause of death from oral diseases in many countries. Oral commensal bacteria are known to be involved in the pathogenesis and development of systematic diseases, such as pneumonia, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, dementia, etc. It has been of concern that oral commensal bacteria may be involved in the pathogenesis of OSCC [13,14] It remains unclear the role of bacteria regarding carcinogenesis of OSCC, even though a lot of bacteria inhabit in the oral cavity. It recently has been shown that one of oral commensal bacteria, Fusobacterium species, especially, play a crucial role for the development of CRC [15,16,17]. As Fusobacterium species are commensal bacteria in the oral cavity, the cumulative evidences of Fusobacterium species in CRC make us hypothesize that Fusobacterium species may be involved in the pathogenesis and development of OSCC. We introduce the reports focused on the association of Fusobacterium species with cancer development and progression
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