Q&A: Microbiome may play role in ovarian cancer

Presence of certain bacteria in the microbiome may indicate early-stage ovarian cancer, according to data published in Scientific Reports.

Researchers from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, collected samples to test the microbiomes of the reproductive tract, ascites/peritoneal fluid, omentum, urine and stool of patients undergoing hysterectomy for ovarian cancer or benign uterine conditions.

They found marked differences between patients’ microbiomes. For instance, compared with patients with benign disease, those with ovarian cancer had lower levels of Lactobacillus and Fusobacterium and greater levels of Streptococcus, Aeroccocus, Veillonella and Megasphaera in the lower reproductive tract.

Notably, there were reductions in microbial taxa with ovarian cancer progression.

“Our ultimate goal is to understand what role the microbiome plays in gynecologic cancers,” Marina R. S. Walther-Antonio, PhD, an assistant professor of surgery at Mayo Clinic, said in a press release. “We are exploring several potential avenues: the role in the causation of the disease, aggravation of the disease and treatment resistance. Our latest study provides a significant leap toward understanding the prognostic potential of the microbiome and places us a step closer to being able to help our patients.”

Healio spoke with Walther-Antonio and Abigail E. Asangba, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at Mayo Clinic, who led the study to learn more.

Healio: What prompted your research on this topic?

Asangba and Walther-Antonio: We have published work demonstrating that there are specific microbes associated with the presence of endometrial cancer. We thought that perhaps that could also be the case for ovarian cancer, which would be an even more significant finding since the early detection of ovarian cancer is so challenging.

Healio: What is the main take-home message?

Asangba and Walther-Antonio: We have found several microbes associated with the presence of ovarian cancer, particularly at an early stage. We have also found microbes associated with patient outcome and how well they responded to treatment in a 2-year and 4-year follow-up.

Healio: How can your findings be used in a clinical setting?

Asangba and Walther-Antonio: This is a pilot study, and further research is needed before the findings can result in clinical applications. If the results hold in future studies, potential clinical applications could be tested for early detection and as indicators of treatment response.

Healio: What work needs to be done next?

Asangba and Walther-Antonio: There are two research avenues we are interested in pursuing from here. One is validating these findings in a larger patient population to evaluate the validity of our findings and potential for clinical application. The other one is exploring what potential role these microbes might have in the causation or progression of the disease, or treatment resistance. While using these microbes as markers for the disease and patient outcomes can be very impactful for patient care, identifying potential roles of these microbes in the disease or disease treatment could open the door to preventive or treatment interventions.

Healio: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Asangba and Walther-Antonio: Ovarian cancer is a very challenging disease to identify early due to lack of specific symptoms, which leads to late diagnoses and poor treatment outcomes. Anything we can do to help save lives in the future, whether it is by helping to identify the disease earlier or adjusting treatment to improve it, we will do. We want to thank the Mayo Clinic Ovarian Cancer Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) and Minnesota Ovarian Cancer Alliance (MOCA) for their funding and support of our work and research efforts in ovarian cancer. Pilot and discovery type research studies are very challenging to fund and conduct, and none of these findings would ever be possible without their support, and most importantly, the support of patient advocates that place and maintain these research efforts as top priorities.

References:

• Asangba AE, et al. Sci Rep. 2023;doi:10.1038/s41598-023-27555-x.
• Murphy S. Mayo Clinic researchers link ovarian cancer to bacteria colonization in microbiome. https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-researchers-link-ovarian-cancer-to-bacteria-colonization-in-microbiome/. Published Jan. 16, 2023. Accessed Jan. 30, 2023.