Skip to main content

Assessment of oncogenic role of intestinal microbiota in colorectal cancer patients

Abstract

Introduction

The direct association between some microbial species and cancers, such as in colorectal cancer (CRC), has been disclosed.

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in intestinal microbiota in subjects with CRC compared with healthy group.

Methods

Three-hundred fecal specimens were gathered from patients with CRC and 300 from healthy individuals during March 2014 to October 2019 from two hospitals in Tehran. The informed consent form and the questionnaire were completed by the patients. Following the identification of Lactobaccilus acidophilus (L. acidophilus), Lactobacillus palntarom (L. palntarom), and Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis), the number of bacteria was determined using quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR).

Results

The patients’ age range was 20–76 years (mean: 55.34 ± 3.66). The qPCR clarified that number of E. faecalis was 2.2-fold higher in patients with CRC compared to healthy population (p = 0.0013). Additionally, the number of L. acidophilus and L. plantarom was 3.4-fold (p < 0.0001) and 4.8-fold (p < 0.0001) higher in healthy population.

Conclusion

The inhibitory effect of intestinal microflora against the CRC development was proposed by observation of the changes in intestinal microbiota and determining their composition in subjects with CRC compared with that of healthy individuals. Microbiota was considered as a goal for the prevention and treatment of CRC. The relationship between microbiota and human health would be known deeper; this knowledge provides insights into the management of intestinal microbiota and therapeutics.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution.

Fig. 1

References

  1. Gilmore MS, Clewell DB, Ike Y, Shankar N. The physiology and metabolism of enterococci: from commensals to leading causes of drug resistant infection. 2014.

  2. Boehm AB, Sassoubre LM. Enterococci as indicators of environmental fecal contamination. 2014.

  3. Winn W, Allen S, Janda W, Koneman E, Procop G, Schreckenberger P, et al. Gram-positive cocci part II: streptococci, enterococci, and the “streptococcus-like” bacteria. Konemans’s Color Atlas and Textbook of Diagnostic Microbiology 6th ed Wilkins LW and, editor. 2006:672-764.

  4. Tenover FC. Mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in bacteria. Am J Med. 2006;119(6):S3–S10.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Rôças IN, Siqueira JF, Santos KR. Association of Enterococcus faecalis with different forms of periradicular diseases. J Endod. 2004;30(5):315–20.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Edmond MB, Ober JF, Weinbaum DL, Pfaller MA, Hwang T, Sanford MD, et al. Vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium bacteremia: risk factors for infection. Clin Infect Dis. 1995;20(5):1126–33.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Mandell GL, Kaye D, Levison ME, Hook EW. Enterococcal endocarditis: an analysis of 38 patients observed at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center. Arch Intern Med. 1970;125(2):258–64.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Sader HS, Jones RN, Silva JB, Group SP. Skin and soft tissue infections in Latin American medical centers: four-year assessment of the pathogen frequency and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns. Diagn Microbiol Infect Dis. 2002;44(3):281–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Nordmann P, Naas T, Fortineau N, Poirel L. Superbugs in the coming new decade; multidrug resistance and prospects for treatment of Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp. and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in 2010. Curr Opin Microbiol. 2007;10(5):436–40.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  10. Lengauer C, Kinzler KW, Vogelstein B. Genetic instabilities in human cancers. Nature. 1998;396(6712):643–9.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Cenci Goga BT, Aquilanti L, Osimani A, Miraglia D, Aloisio F. Identification with multiplex PCR assay of Enterococcus species isolated from dairy products in Umbria, Italy. Vet Res Commun. 2003;27:671–4.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Tabasco R, Paarup T, Janer C, Peláez C, Requena T. Selective enumeration and identification of mixed cultures of Streptococcus thermophilus, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, L. acidophilus, L. paracasei subsp. paracasei and Bifidobacterium lactis in fermented milk. Int Dairy J. 2007;17(9):1107–14.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Khan J, Wei JS, Ringner M, Saal LH, Ladanyi M, Westermann F, et al. Classification and diagnostic prediction of cancers using gene expression profiling and artificial neural networks. Nat Med. 2001;7(6):673–9.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Singh S, Singh PP, Murad MH, Singh H, Samadder NJ. Prevalence, risk factors, and outcomes of interval colorectal cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Am J Gastroenterol. 2014;109(9):1375–89.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Jung K-W, Won Y-J, Kong H-J, Oh C-M, Cho H, Lee DH, et al. Cancer statistics in Korea: incidence, mortality, survival, and prevalence in 2012. Cancer Res Treat. 2015;47(2):127–41.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Lee SY, Haq F, Kim D, Jun C, Jo H-J, Ahn S-M, et al. Comparative genomic analysis of primary and synchronous metastatic colorectal cancers. PLoS One. 2014;9(3):e90459.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Corley DA, Jensen CD, Marks AR, Zhao WK, Lee JK, Doubeni CA, et al. Adenoma detection rate and risk of colorectal cancer and death. N Engl J Med. 2014;370(14):1298–306.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Imperiale TF, Ransohoff DF, Itzkowitz SH, Levin TR, Lavin P, Lidgard GP, et al. Multitarget stool DNA testing for colorectal-cancer screening. N Engl J Med. 2014;370(14):1287–97.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  19. Chew MH, Tan WS, Liu Y, Cheah PY, Loi C, Tang CL. Genomics of hereditary colorectal cancer: lessons learnt from 25 years of the Singapore polyposis registry. Ann Acad Med Singap. 2015;44(8):290–6.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Patel SG, Ahnen DJ. Prevention of interval colorectal cancers: what every clinician needs to know. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2014;12(1):7–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Jasperson KW, Tuohy TM, Neklason DW, Burt RW. Hereditary and familial colon cancer. Gastroenterology. 2010;138(6):2044–58.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Huycke MM, Gaskins HR. Commensal bacteria, redox stress, and colorectal cancer: mechanisms and models. Exp Biol Med. 2004;229(7):586–97.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Castellarin M, Warren RL, Freeman JD, Dreolini L, Krzywinski M, Strauss J, et al. Fusobacterium nucleatum infection is prevalent in human colorectal carcinoma. Genome Res. 2012;22(2):299–306.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Abdulamir AS, Hafidh RR, Bakar FA. Molecular detection, quantification, and isolation of Streptococcus gallolyticus bacteria colonizing colorectal tumors: inflammation-driven potential of carcinogenesis via IL-1, COX-2, and IL-8. Mol Cancer. 2010;9(1):249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Mager D. Bacteria and cancer: cause, coincidence or cure? A review. J Transl Med. 2006;4(1):14.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Cummins J, Tangney M. Bacteria and tumours: causative agents or opportunistic inhabitants? Infect Agents Cancer. 2013;8(1):11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Tjalsma H, Boleij A, Marchesi JR, Dutilh BE. A bacterial driver–passenger model for colorectal cancer: beyond the usual suspects. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2012;10(8):575–82.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  28. Zhu Q, Gao R, Wu W, Qin H. The role of gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. Tumor Biol. 2013;34(3):1285–300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Garrett WS. Cancer and the microbiota. Science. 2015;348(6230):80–6.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Balkwill F, Mantovani A. Cancer and inflammation: implications for pharmacology and therapeutics. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2010;87(4):401–6.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Sears CL, Garrett WS. Microbes, microbiota, and colon cancer. Cell Host Microbe. 2014;15(3):317–28.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Sobhani I, Amiot A, Le Baleur Y, Levy M, Auriault M-L, Van Nhieu JT, et al. Microbial dysbiosis and colon carcinogenesis: could colon cancer be considered a bacteria-related disease? Ther Adv Gastroenterol. 2013;6(3):215–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Boleij A, Tjalsma H. Gut bacteria in health and disease: a survey on the interface between intestinal microbiology and colorectal cancer. Biol Rev. 2012;87(3):701–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Ou J, Carbonero F, Zoetendal EG, DeLany JP, Wang M, Newton K, et al. Diet, microbiota, and microbial metabolites in colon cancer risk in rural Africans and African Americans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2013;98(1):111–20.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Bonnet M, Buc E, Sauvanet P, Darcha C, Dubois D, Pereira B, et al. Colonization of the human gut by E. coli and colorectal cancer risk. Clin Cancer Res. 2014;20(4):859–67.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Darfeuille-Michaud A, Neut C, Barnich N, Lederman E, Di Martino P, Desreumaux P, et al. Presence of adherent Escherichia coli strains in ileal mucosa of patients with Crohn’s disease. Gastroenterology. 1998;115(6):1405–13.

    CAS  Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Abdolmajid Ghasemian.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

D’asheesh, T.A., Hussen, B.M., Al-Marzoqi, A.H. et al. Assessment of oncogenic role of intestinal microbiota in colorectal cancer patients. J Gastrointest Canc 52, 1016–1021 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-020-00531-8

Download citation

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-020-00531-8

Keywords

  • Lactobacillus spp
  • Enterococcus faecalis
  • colorectal cancer