Mouth bacteria can kill cancer cells in head, neck: Scientists

(Web Desk) – A new study from Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College London discovered that a certain form of oral bacteria kills cancer cells in the head and neck.

According to a study published in Cancer Communications, head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) is a deadly type of cancer that is the sixth most frequent worldwide. It lacks any current advances in treatment.

According to Guys and St Thomas, researchers may have discovered new hope in a bacteria called fusobacterium, which advances bowel cancer yet stops it dead in its tracks in the head and neck.

“This study demonstrates that these bacteria have a more intricate link with cancer than previously thought, as they effectively melt head and neck cancer cells.

However, this conclusion should be weighed with their recognized function in worsening malignancies, such as those in the bowel,” Dr. Miguel Reis Ferreira, senior author, explained.

Dr. Ferreira headed a multinational team of scientists that analyzed data from 155 individuals with head and neck cancer.

Patients with higher levels of fusobacterium had a consistently better prognosis than those with lower levels, according to Guys’ and St. Thomas studies.

Their chances of survival jumped by 65%, according to The Guardian.

“In essence, we discovered that when these bacteria are identified within head and neck malignancies, the outcomes are far better. “We also discovered that in cell cultures, this bacterium can kill cancer,” Dr. Ferreira said in a press release from Guys and St. Thomas.

After keeping the bacteria in a petri dish with cancer cells for a few days in the lab, 70-90% of the malignancy was gone. It eliminates the tumor by releasing poisonous chemicals.
“You put it in the cancer at very low quantities, and it just starts killing it very quickly,” he told The Guardian.

They expected the fusobacterium to irritate cancer cells in the head and neck since it promotes cancer growth in the bowels, but instead discovered a potentially game-changing therapy.

“At the end of a few days, it just destroys the cancer completely,” Dr. Ferriera stated.

As the study is still in its early stages, scientists hope to continue investigating how these findings may affect patient outcomes with head and neck cancer and other forms that have yet to be studied.

It opens up new avenues for researchers to experiment with bacteria that they might not anticipate to work, such as one that promotes cancer growth in one type but kills it when applied to another.

“Our findings are impressive and startling. “We had a eureka moment when we discovered that our international colleagues had also found data that validated the discovery,” said Dr. Anjali Chander, senior clinical research fellow at King’s College London and lead author in Guys and St. Thomas.

According to Barbara Kasumu, Executive Director of Guy’s Cancer Charity, “we are proud to support the ground-breaking research conducted by Miguel and Anjali, which aims to enhance our understanding of head and neck cancer and develop more compassionate and effective treatments.”

The work was recently published in Cancer Communications.