Variations in oral bacteria linked with future risk of lung cancer in people who have never smoked, finds study This link between oral bacteria and lung cancer may not be that easily apparent but it’s based on an emerging scientific consensus that the oral microbiome has a huge role to play in lung health Representational image. Image courtesy: Pixabay/kalhh
Lung cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death among men and women worldwide. While a huge proportion of lung cancer cases occur due to tobacco use and smoking, a margin of this global disease also occurs in people who have never smoked in their lives. A 2007 study published in
TORONTO Even those who have never smoked a cigarette in their lives can develop lung cancer and new research suggests that one mechanism behind this could be specific types of mouth bacteria. A paper published Monday in the scientific journal Thorax which looked at non-smokers found that the chances of developing lung cancer might be linked to the type and amount of mouth bacteria a person has. According to the researchers, non-smokers make up around one fourth of those who develop lung cancer, and known risk factors such as second-hand smoke and family history of cancer can’t fully explain this.
Dec 16, 2020
Lower microbiota diversity and abundance of Lactobacillales increased the risk
The composition of the oral microbiome influenced future lung cancer risk among men and especially women who never smoked, suggested findings from a nested case-control study in two large cohorts from Shanghai.
Among almost 75,000 participants in the Shanghai Women’s Health Study and over 61,000 participants in the Shanghai Men’s Health Study, subjects with lower levels of microbiota diversity had an increased risk of lung cancer compared to those with higher levels of microbial diversity (
P=0.05 and
P=0.04, depending on the statistical method used), Dean Hosgood, MD, of the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York, and colleagues reported in
E-Mail
The type and abundance of bacteria found in the mouth may be linked to lung cancer risk in non-smokers, finds the first study of its kind, published online in the journal
Thorax.
Fewer species and high numbers of particular types of bacteria seem to be linked to heightened risk, the findings indicate.
Around one in four cases of lung cancer occurs in non-smokers and known risk factors, such as second hand tobacco smoke, background radon exposure, air pollution, and family history of lung cancer don t fully explain these figures, say the researchers.
The type and volume of bacteria (microbiome), found in the mouth has been associated with a heightened risk of various cancers including those of the gullet, head and neck, and pancreas.
This stuff in your mouth may increase lung cancer risk, even if you donât smoke
Credit: CC0 Public Domain
In a new study, researchers found that the type and abundance of bacteria found in the mouth may be linked to lung cancer risk in non-smokers.
They found fewer species and high numbers of particular types of bacteria seem to be linked to heightened risk.
The research was conducted by a team at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Around one in four cases of lung cancer occurs in non-smokers and known risk factors, such as secondhand tobacco smoke, background radon exposure, air pollution, and family history of lung cancer don’t fully explain these figures, say the researchers.