Overview

• Published in JAMA Oncology, the prospective analysis examined saliva from about 122,000 participants in the CPS-II and PLCO cohorts, with roughly nine years of follow-up and a 445 case–445 control comparison.
• A defined community of 27 oral bacteria and fungi was collectively associated with a markedly increased subsequent risk of pancreatic cancer.
• Three periodontal pathogens—Porphyromonas gingivalis, Eubacterium nodatum, and Parvimonas micra—were linked to higher risk, and Candida species were associated with risk and detected in tumor samples.
• The team created a first-generation tool that estimates individual risk by profiling oral bacterial and fungal populations to help prioritize who might benefit from pancreatic surveillance.
• Analyses accounted for factors such as age, race, and smoking, and investigators plan to probe roles for oral viruses and effects on survival as experts highlight the need for noninvasive biomarkers given limited screening options.