Gut dysbiosis in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma is characterized by shifts in relative abundances of specific bacterial taxa and decreased diversity in more advanced diseaseOriginal paper
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease, four years before the first published case study.
Read MoreWhat was studied?
Researchers examined the gut microbiome of patients with cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL), a rare skin cancer marked by recurrent infections and immune dysregulation. Since gut dysbiosis had been linked to other cancers and skin conditions, but never studied in CTCL, they compared fecal microbiota between patients and healthy controls.
How was it studied?
A case-control study at Northwestern's CTCL clinic in Chicago enrolled 38 CTCL patients and 13 age-matched healthy controls between January 2019 and November 2020. Fecal samples were analyzed using 16S ribosomal RNA gene amplicon sequencing to characterize bacterial taxa and diversity.
What did they find?
Alpha-diversity trended lower across all CTCL patients and was significantly lower in those with advanced disease (P = 0.015), though beta-diversity did not differ between groups. Actinobacteria, Coriobacteriia, Coriobacteriales, and the genus Anaerotruncus were significantly reduced in patients, and Eggerthellaceae and Lactobacillaceae were further reduced in patients with high skin disease burden.
Why it matters
This is the first study to characterize gut dysbiosis in CTCL, showing it becomes more pronounced with advanced disease. The taxonomic pattern resembled atopic dermatitis and contrasted with psoriasis, suggesting the gut microbiome could offer new disease biomarkers and intervention targets for CTCL.