Oral microbiome characteristics in patients with pediatric solid tumor

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Oncology
• Pediatrics

Background:

• Pediatric solid tumors (PST) are a significant health concern in children.
• While the oral microbiome's link to adult cancers is known, its role in pediatric solid tumors requires specific investigation due to distinct characteristics.
• Understanding the oral microbiota in pediatric cancer is crucial for identifying unique disease associations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize the oral microbiome composition in children with solid tumors.
• To identify differences in oral microbiota diversity and abundance between pediatric solid tumor patients and healthy controls.
• To explore potential microbial biomarkers for pediatric solid tumor diagnosis.

Main Methods:

• Collected 43 saliva samples from 23 pediatric solid tumor patients and 20 healthy controls.
• Performed microbial MiSeq sequencing on screened samples.
• Analyzed oral microbiome attributes, including bacterial genera and gene functions.

Main Results:

• Observed a significant decrease in oral microbiota diversity in pediatric solid tumor patients.
• Identified 18 enriched bacterial genera (e.g., Veillonellaceae, Firmicutes unclassified) in pediatric solid tumor patients compared to controls.
• Found significant enrichment of 16 gene functions (e.g., Amino acid metabolism) in pediatric solid tumor patients, while 29 gene functions were dominant in healthy controls.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first characterization of the oral microbiota in pediatric solid tumor patients.
• Alterations in the oral microbiome may serve as potential non-invasive diagnostic biomarkers for pediatric solid tumors.
• Further research into these microbial signatures could lead to novel diagnostic strategies.