Oral Bacteria, Fungi Linked to Increased Risk for Pancreatic Cancer

MONDAY, Sept. 22, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Oral bacteria and fungi are associated with an increased risk for pancreatic cancer development, according to a study published online Sept. 18 in JAMA Oncology.

Yixuan Meng, Ph.D., from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York City, and colleagues used data from two epidemiological cohorts — the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort and the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial — to examine whether the oral bacterial and fungal microbiome is associated with the subsequent development of pancreatic cancer. Individuals who prospectively developed pancreatic cancer were identified during follow-up and were matched with control participants who remained free of cancer.

Of the 122,000 cohort participants who provided samples, 445 developed pancreatic cancer during a median follow-up of 8.8 years, and they were matched with 445 controls. The researchers found associations for three oral bacterial periodontal pathogens — Porphyromonas gingivalis, Eubacterium nodatum, and Parvimonas micra — with an increased risk for pancreatic cancer. Based on a bacteriome-wide scan, eight and 13 oral bacteria were associated with a decreased and increased risk for pancreatic cancer, respectively. The fungal genus Candida was associated with an increased risk for pancreatic cancer. An increase in pancreatic cancer risk was seen in association with the microbial risk score (MRS), based on 27 oral species (multivariate odds ratio per one standard deviation in MRS, 3.44).

“By profiling bacterial and fungal populations in the mouth, oncologists may be able to flag those most in need of pancreatic cancer screening,” coauthor Jiyoung Ahn, Ph.D., M.D., also from the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, said in a statement.

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