Salivary Fusobacterium nucleatum serves as a potential biomarker for colorectal cancer

Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) is primarily colonized in the oral cavity. Recently, Fn has been closely associated with the tumorigenesis of colorectal cancer (CRC). Here, we showed that the relative level of Fn DNA was increased in the saliva of the CRC group compared with the normal colonoscopy, hyperplastic polyp, and adenoma groups. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis illustrated that Fn DNA was superior to carcinoembryonic antigen and carbohydrate antigen 19-9 in CRC diagnosis. Moreover, levels of Fn DNA were associated with the overall survival and disease-free survival of CRC patients, which was an independent factor for prognostic prediction. Transcriptome sequencing identified 1,287 differentially expressed mRNAs in tumor tissues between CRC patients with high-Fn and low-Fn infection. Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes analysis showed that ECM-receptor interaction and focal adhesion were the top two significant pathways. Overall, salivary Fn DNA may be a noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for CRC patients.