Compositional and Functional Disparities in the Breast Oncobiome Between Patients Living in Urban or Rural Areas

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Oncology
• Environmental Health

Background:

• Breast cancer (BC) is a leading cause of mortality in women.
• The mammary microbiota's role in breast carcinogenesis is increasingly recognized.
• Environmental and socioeconomic factors influence BC prevalence and tumor-associated bacteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the compositional and functional characteristics of the mammary microbiota in cancerous (oncobiome) and adjacent healthy breast cancer tissues.
• To compare the oncobiome of patients from urban versus rural areas.
• To investigate the influence of environmental factors on the breast oncobiome.

Main Methods:

• 16S rRNA sequencing was used to analyze microbiota composition.
• Phylogenetic Investigation of Communities by Reconstruction of Unobserved States (PICRUSt2) was employed for functional analysis.
• Comparative analysis was performed between urban and rural patient cohorts.

Main Results:

• Significant variations in breast oncobiome composition were found between urban and rural BC patients.
• Specific bacterial genera (Selenomonas, Centipeda, Leptotrichia, Neisseria, Porphyromonas) and families (Neisseriaceae, Porphyromonadaceae, Selenomonadaceae) were enriched in rural patients' oncobiome.
• Increased phospholipid biosynthesis pathways were observed in the oncobiome of rural patients compared to urban patients.

Conclusions:

• Distinct compositional and functional differences exist in the breast oncobiome between urban and rural BC patients.
• Environmental factors appear to influence mammary microbiota composition.
• These microbiome alterations may play a role in breast cancer development and/or progression.