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Updated: Mar 3, 2026
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miRNA Expression Analyses in Prostate Cancer Clinical Tissues
Published on: September 8, 2015
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The Microbiome of the Prostate Tumor Microenvironment
Ilaria Cavarretta1, Roberto Ferrarese2, Walter Cazzaniga1
1Division of Experimental Oncology/Unit of Urology, URI, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milan, Italy.
European Urology
|April 25, 2017
Summary
The prostate harbors diverse bacteria, with distinct microbial communities found in tumor versus healthy tissues. These findings suggest a link between prostate cancer and specific bacterial populations, potentially leading to new biomarkers.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Oncology
- Genomics
Background:
- Molecular methods have revolutionized microbial discovery.
- A comprehensive analysis of the prostate's microbial ecosystem, particularly in pathologic states, is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize the microbiome associated with the pathologic prostate microenvironment.
- To identify specific microbial populations in tumor and non-tumor prostate tissues.
Main Methods:
- Assessed microbiome profiles of tumor, peri-tumor, and non-tumor tissues from 16 radical prostatectomy specimens.
- Utilized massive ultradeep pyrosequencing for microbiome analysis.
- Employed statistical tests (Friedman's, Wilcoxon rank-sum) to determine significance.
Main Results:
- Identified key bacterial phyla, classes, orders, families, and genera.
- Observed significant differences in microbial populations between tumor/peri-tumor and non-tumor tissues.
- Propionibacterium spp. were most abundant; Staphylococcus spp. were more prevalent in tumor tissues.
Conclusions:
- The prostate harbors a diverse bacterial population with tissue-specific distribution.
- Microbial niche composition may correlate with prostate tumor presence.
- These findings suggest potential for novel therapeutic approaches and biomarkers.
