Fusobacterium nucleatum Abundance is Associated with Cachexia in Colorectal Cancer Patients: The ColoCare Study

Mmadili N Ilozumba ^1,2, Tengda Lin ^1,2, Sheetal Hardikar ^1,2

¹Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
²Department of Population Sciences, University of Utah, USA.
³H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Florida, USA.
⁴Division of Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
⁵Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.
⁶Department of General, Visceral, and Transplantation Surgery, Heidelberg University Hospital, Heidelberg, Germany.
⁷Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA.
⁸Department of Medicine, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Los Angeles, California, USA.
⁹Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri, USA.
¹⁰Department of Surgery, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
¹¹Department of Information and Communication, Faculty for Media, Information and Design, University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Hannover, Germany.

⁰Huntsman Cancer Institute, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

Cancer Medicine +

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November 26, 2024

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

High levels of Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) in stool samples were linked to a fourfold increased risk of developing cachexia after colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery. This finding suggests Fn may play a role in cancer cachexia development.

Area Of Science

Microbiology
Oncology
Gastroenterology

Background

Cachexia contributes to 20% of cancer deaths and indicates a poor prognosis.
Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) is a known risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC).
The relationship between Fn and cachexia in CRC patients remains unestablished.

Purpose Of The Study

To investigate the association between Fn abundance in pre-surgical stool samples and the development of cachexia in CRC patients.
To explore potential microbial factors influencing cancer cachexia.

Main Methods

A cohort of 87 patients with stages I-III CRC was studied.
Pre-surgical stool samples were analyzed for Fn abundance.
Cachexia onset was assessed at 6 months post-surgery.

Main Results

High fecal Fn abundance was significantly associated with an increased risk of cachexia onset (OR=4.82, p=0.03).
Patients with high Fn levels had a 4-fold higher risk of developing cachexia 6 months after surgery.

Conclusions

High fecal Fn abundance may be a risk factor for developing cachexia in CRC patients.
This study provides novel insights into the potential mechanisms linking gut microbiota and cancer cachexia.
Larger studies are needed to validate these preliminary findings and explore clinical implications.

Keywords:

Fusobacterium nucleatum cachexia colorectal cancer