Type of mouth bacteria 'melts' some cancers, study finds

People with head and neck cancers are said to have better outcomes if fusobacterium is found with their cancer

Sammy Gecsoyler
Sat 27 Jul 2024 05.56 EDT


Type of mouth bacteria ‘melts’ some cancers, study finds
People with head and neck cancers are said to have better outcomes if fusobacterium is found with their cancer

Sammy Gecsoyler
Sat 27 Jul 2024 05.56 EDT

Scientists have discovered that a common type of mouth bacteria can make certain cancers “melt”.

Researchers at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College London said they had been “brutally surprised” to find that fusobacterium – a type of bacteria commonly found in the mouth – appears to have the ability to kill certain cancers.

People with head and neck cancers who were found to have this bacteria within their cancer have been found to have much better outcomes, according to a study.

Researchers are now looking into the exact biological mechanisms behind the link after the initial findings.

Dr Miguel Reis Ferreira, the study’s senior author and a consultant in head and neck cancers at Guy’s and St Thomas’, told the PA news agency: “In essence, we found that when you find these bacteria within head and neck cancers, they have much better outcomes. The other thing that we found is that in cell cultures this bacterium is capable of killing cancer.

More:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/article/2024/jul/27/type-of-mouth-bacteria-melts-some-cancers-study-finds