Fusobacterium-positive patients with head and neck malignancies had “much better outcomes”; researchers were “brutally surprised” by the results.
The oral bacteria has been shown in laboratory experiments to reduce viable cancer cells by 70–99% after a few days in petri dishes.
Additionally, 155 individuals with head and neck cancer from the Cancer Genome Atlas database were examined by researchers, who discovered that the presence of fusobacterium reduced the risk of mortality by 65%.
Given that fusobacterium has been connected in the past to the advancement of bowel cancer, the apparent benefit of this bacteria was unexpected.
It’s hoped the bacteria could help formulate new treatments for patients with head and neck cancer, which includes cancers of the mouth, nose, sinuses, throat, and voice box. “In essence, we found that when you find these bacteria within head and neck cancers, they have much better outcomes,” said senior study author Dr. Miguel Reis Ferreira, a consultant at Guy’s and St. Thomas’ and senior lecturer at King’s College. “We also found that this bacterium is capable of killing cancer in cell cultures.”
