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Updated: Nov 10, 2025
Molecular Profiling of the Invasive Tumor Microenvironment in a 3-Dimensional Model of Colorectal Cancer Cells and Ex vivo Fibroblasts
Published on: April 29, 2014
The Potential of Colonic Tumor Tissue Fusobacterium nucleatum to Predict Staging and Its Interplay with Oral
Pamela Pignatelli1, Lorena Iezzi1, Martina Pennese1
1Department of Medical, Oral and Biotechnological Sciences, "G. d'Annunzio" University of Chieti-Pescara, Via dei Vestini, 66100 Chieti, Italy.
Background:
Intestinal microbiota dysbiosis may enhance the carcinogenicity of colon cancer (CC) by the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells. Oral Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg) have the ability to invade the gut epithelium, promoting tumor progression. The aim of the study was to assess whether the abundance of these odontopathogenic bacteria was associated with colon cancer. We also investigated how lifestyle factors could influence the oral Fn and Pg abundance and CC.
Methods:
Thirty-six CC patients were included in the study to assess the Pg and Fn oral and colon tissue abundance by qPCR. Oral health data, food habits and lifestyles were also recorded.
Results:
Patients had a greater quantity of Fn in the oral cavity than matched CC and adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa (adj t) tissues (p = 0.004 and p < 0.001). Instead, Pg was not significantly detected in colonic tissues. There was an association between the Fn quantity in the oral and CC tissue and a statistically significant relation between the Fn abundance in adenocarcinoma (ADK) and staging (p = 0.016). The statistical analysis revealed a tendency towards a greater Fn quantity in CC (p = 0.073, η2 = 0.12) for high-meat consumers.
Conclusion:
In our study, Pg was absent in colon tissues but was correlated with the oral inflammation gingival and plaque indices. For the first time, there was evidence that the Fn oral concentration can influence colon tissue concentrations and predict CC prognosis.
