Changes In Mouth Bacteria Could Be An Indicator For Pancreatic Cancer

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Other than just having bacteria that contributes to bad breath or those that cause tooth decay, chances are, they help tell you if you are at risk of having pancreatic cancer.

In a recent report to the American Association for Cancer Research held in New Orleans recently, the research team from New York University Langone who suggested that they are on to finalizing studies that could provide early signs of developing pancreatic cancer, for which survival rates have been very low due to no known  symptoms.

The researchers pointed out that they found that patients with a history of poor oral health and gum disease were associated with those at risk of having pancreatic cancer, including certain  types of bacteria.

Study author Dr. Jiyoung Ahn, associate professor on population health and environmental medicine from the NYU School of Medicine, said that their initial evidence that the oral micro-biome that result from changes in the microbial mix in the mouth represent a risk factor for pancreatic cancer.

These have been linked as well to certain demographics and age groups , including racial background and a genetic history of the disease.

Dr. Ahn appointed out that these risk factors are likely to affect older people, males, smokers and people with African-American ethnic background .

There are two bacterial types that are the main suspects for this study which are the Porphyromonas gingivitis that was linked with 59% of those diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the other is the aggregtibacter actinomycetemcomitans were linked to 50% of increased risk.

Both bacteria types largely contribute to the incidence of periodontitis or gum disease.

Both percentages remained unchanged when the researchers identified cases where the participants were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer after two years.

The study involved some 361 test participants, composed of men and women, before they were able to develop pancreatic cancer compared to those sampled from 371 similar subjects who did not develop the disease.

An estimated 46,000 Americans were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer back in 2014 and a surprising 40,000 have already died from the disease.

Dr. Ahn added that this will be able to help increase survival rates of potential pancreatic cancer victims through treatment and early intervention.

Pancreatic cancer is the 12^th most common cancer in the United States and although much rare compared to other cancer types is more prevalent in men than in women.

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