Human oral microbiome dysbiosis as a novel non-invasive biomarker in detection of colorectal cancerOriginal 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 whether oral microbiome dysbiosis tracks with colorectal tumor development, testing oral swabs from 161 colorectal cancer (CRC) patients, 34 colorectal adenoma (CRA) patients, and 58 healthy volunteers.
How was it studied?
Oral swab DNA underwent 16S rRNA gene sequencing to profile bacterial composition, diversity, and predicted functional pathways. A random forest classifier built on oral microbial OTU markers was then trained in a discovery cohort and tested in a validation cohort.
What did they find?
Oral microbial composition and diversity differed significantly across the three groups, with the CRA group showing the highest diversity. Cell motility pathways were overrepresented in CRA and CRC relative to healthy controls, and the oral marker classifier reached an AUC of 83.74 percent for CRC and 94.8 percent for CRA when applied to all samples.
Why it matters
A non-invasive oral swab test showed strong potential to flag colorectal tumor risk, offering an alternative to invasive colonoscopy-based screening approaches.