Exploring the Intestinal Microbiota Profile in Prostate Cancer Patients and Healthy Controls.

Area of Science:

• Microbiology
• Oncology
• Gastroenterology

Background:

• Prostate cancer (PCa) is a common male neoplasm.
• Gut microbiota's role in PCa onset, progression, and prognosis is increasingly recognized.
• Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing for PCa screening has limited specificity.

Purpose of the Study:

• Investigate gut microbiota differences between PCa patients and healthy controls (HCs).
• Identify bacterial biomarkers for PCa diagnosis and prognosis.
• Correlate gut microbes with clinical laboratory parameters in PCa evaluation.

Main Methods:

• 16S rRNA gene sequencing of fecal DNA from 18 PCa patients and 18 HCs.
• Analysis of gut microbial profiles, including diversity and functional predictions.
• Recursive partitioning tree for bacterial signature identification and correlation analysis.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in gut microbiota composition and diversity (alpha, beta) between PCa patients and HCs.
• Enriched microbial pathways in PCa patients include Krebs cycle and steroid hormone synthesis.
• A bacterial signature of Lactobacillus and Collinsella distinguished PCa from HCs, with significant correlations to clinical parameters.

Conclusions:

• Gut microbiota profiles show potential as future biomarkers for prostate cancer risk and progression.
• Specific bacterial signatures, like Lactobacillus and Collinsella, may aid in PCa diagnosis.
• Further prospective studies and clinical validation are necessary before implementing these as diagnostic or prognostic tools.