Profiling the Bladder Microbiota in Patients With Bladder Cancer.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Oncology
• Genitourinary Medicine

Background:

• Microbiota dysbiosis is implicated in cancer pathogenesis.
• Urinary microbiota alterations are observed in bladder cancer patients.
• Sex-based differences in urinary microbiota may influence bladder cancer incidence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize bladder microbiota in paired tumor and non-tumor mucosa from bladder cancer patients.
• To investigate associations between microbial composition and clinical/pathological variables.
• To identify potential microbial profiles in bladder tumors.

Main Methods:

• Next-generation sequencing of paired tumor and non-tumor bladder mucosa samples.
• Analysis of microbial richness and composition at phylum and genus levels.
• Multivariate analysis to correlate microbiota with clinical and pathological data.

Main Results:

• Non-tumor mucosa exhibited significantly higher microbial richness than tumor mucosa.
• Actinobacteria were significantly enriched in non-tumor compared to tumor tissues.
• Microbial composition varied significantly with tumor grade; specific genera (e.g., Enterococcus) were associated with low-grade tumors. Two distinct microbial clusters were identified in tumor samples.

Conclusions:

• Reduced microbial richness in bladder tumors suggests a potential indicator of disease.
• Enrichment of Actinobacteria in non-neoplastic tissue supports a potential protective role against bladder cancer.
• Distinct microbial profiles in tumors may have implications for understanding bladder cancer development and progression.