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Updated: Jul 14, 2026
Intramucosal Inoculation of Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cells in Mice for Tumor Immune Profiling and Treatment Response Assessment
Published on: April 22, 2019
Signatures of Mucosal Microbiome in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Identified Using a Random Forest Model
Jianhua Zhou1, Lili Wang2, Rongtao Yuan1
1Department of Stomatology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, Qingdao University, Qingdao 266071, Shandong, People's Republic of China.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to explore the signatures of oral microbiome associated with OSCC using a random forest (RF) model.
Patients And Methods:
A total of 24 patients with OSCC were enrolled in the study. The oral microbiome was assessed in cancerous lesions and matched paracancerous tissues from each patient using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Signatures of mucosal microbiome in OSCC were identified using a RF model.
Results:
Significant differences were found between OSCC lesions and matched paracancerous tissues with respect to the microbial profile and composition. Linear discriminant analysis effect size analyses (LEfSe) identified 15 bacteria genera associated with cancerous lesions. Fusobacterium, Treponema, Streptococcus, Peptostreptococcus, Carnobacterium, Tannerella, Parvimonas and Filifactor were enriched. A classifier based on RF model identified a microbial signature comprising 12 bacteria, which was capable of distinguishing cancerous lesions and paracancerous tissues (AUC = 0.82). The network of the oral microbiome in cancerous lesions appeared to be simplified and fragmented. Functional analyses of oral microbiome showed altered functions in amino acid metabolism and increased capacity of glucose utilization in OSCC.
Conclusion:
The identified microbial signatures may potentially be used as a biomarker for predicting OSCC or for clinical assessment of oral cancer risk.
