Urinary microbiome profile in men with genitourinary malignancies.

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Microbiology
• Oncology

Background:

• Advances in molecular biology enable urinary microbiome identification.
• The urinary microbiome is implicated in various urological diseases.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the urinary microbiome in patients with genitourinary malignancies.
• To identify specific bacterial associations with different types of genitourinary cancers.

Main Methods:

• Metagenomic analysis of urinary DNA from 85 patients (30 bladder cancer, 27 prostate cancer, 12 renal cancer, 16 non-cancer).
• 16S rRNA gene sequencing of the V3-V4 region was performed.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in Shannon index and beta diversity were observed between cancer types.
• Six bacterial genera (Cutibacterium, Peptoniphilus, Sphingomonas, Staphylococcus, Micrococcus, Moraxella) showed differential abundance.
• Specific species like Micrococcus sp. increased in bladder cancer, while others were elevated in prostate and renal cancers, with some shared between PC and RC.

Conclusions:

• Urinary microbiome composition varies distinctly with genitourinary malignancy type.
• Specific bacteria are significantly associated with individual malignancies.
• Shared bacterial species between prostate and renal cancers suggest similar pathogenesis-related urinary microbiomes.