Mouth Bacteria Found to “Melt” Certain Cancers

Researchers at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College London have discovered that fusobacterium, a common mouth bacteria, may significantly improve outcomes for patients with head and neck cancers, The Guardian reported yesterday.

Dr. Miguel Reis Ferreira, the study’s senior author, noted that the presence of this bacterium in tumors correlates with better survival rates, revealing a 65% reduction in the risk of death for affected patients. Laboratory studies showed a staggering 70%-99% reduction in viable cancer cells after exposure to fusobacterium, which “destroys the cancer completely,” according to Reis Ferreira.

Scientists used modelling to help identify which bacteria may be of interest to further investigate. Then they studied the effect of the bacteria on cancerous cells in a laboratory and also performed an analysis of data on 155 patients with head and neck cancer whose tumour information had been submitted to the Cancer Genome Atlas database.

The research may pave the way for new treatments in head and neck cancer, a field that has seen few advancements in the past two decades.