Overview

• Researchers analyzed saliva from about 122,000 participants in the CPS-II and PLCO cohorts using DNA sequencing and followed them for roughly nine years.
• Among 445 pancreatic cancer cases matched to 445 controls, a 27-microbe profile was collectively associated with a markedly higher subsequent risk.
• Periodontal pathogens P. gingivalis, E. nodatum, and P. micra were linked to increased risk, and oral Candida species were associated with risk and detected in pancreatic tumors.
• The team developed an initial oral-microbiome risk estimation tool intended to flag individuals who might merit closer pancreatic cancer evaluation.
• Authors stressed the results show correlations after adjusting for factors such as age, race, and smoking, and they plan follow-up studies on oral viruses and survival outcomes.