Mouth bacteria linked to cancer

Particular types of mouth bacteria could be linked to the development of one of the UK's most deadly cancers, research suggests Thursday. Pancreatic cancer is frequently diagnosed at an advanced stage and kills 80 percent of people in under a year. Only five percent of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. Experts writing in the journal "Gut" say particular types of mouth bacteria, some of which are found in gum disease, are associated with the development of the disease. The team, led by experts from the University of California Los Angeles' school of medicine, are now investigating whether checking the balance of bacteria in the mouth could act as a diagnostic tool for the cancer. Their small study compared the bacteria found in the saliva of 10 patients with pancreatic cancer which had not yet spread and 10 healthy people, who were matched for age and sex. They found that cancer patients had an extra 31 species of mouth bacteria compared to healthy people, but 25 fewer other types. They then checked saliva samples from a further 28 pancreatic cancer patients and 28 healthy people to verify the findings. Further samples were then collected from 28 patients with chronic inflammation of the pancreas, pancreatitis, which is linked to an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Six species of bacteria were found to show significant differences between healthy people and those with cancer. Dr Adam Roberts, lecturer in molecular microbiology at the Eastman Dental Institute, University College London, said: "There is increasing evidence in the literature that the microbiology of the oral cavity has systemic effects on human health. "This study is very important as it is the first to show a link - although not necessarily a causal one - between the type of bacteria living in the mouth and pancreatic cancer."