Microbiome signatures associated with clinical stages of gastric Cancer: whole metagenome shotgun sequencing studyOriginal 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 compared fecal microbiomes across 65 patients: 33 with chronic gastritis and 32 with gastric cancer, the cancer group split into early (stages 1 to 2) and late (stages 3 to 4) disease.
How was it studied?
Whole metagenome shotgun sequencing of fecal samples was used to capture rare species and improve genome coverage. LEfSe, age and sex adjusted MaAsLin, and Random Forest variable of importance analysis identified taxa and metabolic pathways distinguishing the groups.
What did they find?
No differences appeared in alpha or beta diversity, but Fusobacteria abundance was higher in gastric cancer (LDA 4.27, q = 0.041). Bacteroides caccae was the top species linked to cancer and late stage disease (VIMP 2.543, p = 0.008), while Bifidobacterium longum was linked to chronic gastritis (VIMP 1.988, p = 0.009). A degradation pathway, GLCMANNANAUT-PWY, was elevated in cancer and tied to Fusobacterium varium.
Why it matters
Fusobacteria, Bacteroides caccae, and Streptococcus anginosus may serve as non-invasive markers for monitoring gastric cancer progression. Bifidobacterium longum and Lachnospiraceae bacterium 5 1 63FAA appear as possible protective biomarkers.