New discovery about breast cancer

In a newly published study, Cleveland Clinic researchers discovered differences in the bacterial composition of breast tissue from healthy women compared to women with breast cancer.

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For the first time, researchers have discovered that healthy breast tissue contains more Methylobacterium bacteria, a finding that could provide a new perspective in the fight against breast cancer, according to Sciencedaily.

The bacteria that live in the body, known as the microbiome, influence many diseases. Most research has been done on “gut” bacteria, or bacteria in the digestive tract. Researchers have long suspected that a microbiome exists in breast tissue and plays a role in breast cancer. The team took the first step toward understanding the bacterial composition of breast cancer by discovering differences in the microbiome in healthy and cancerous breast tissue.

“This is the first study to examine both breast tissue and other body sites for bacterial differences in breast cancer,” said study author Charis Eng, co-author at the Cleveland Clinic Institute of Medicine and president and director of the Center for Personalized Genetic Health at Cleveland.

We hope we can use microbiology before breast cancer forms and then prevent cancer with probiotics or antibiotics.

Published online in the journal Oncotarget on October 5, the study examined tissues from 78 patients who had undergone mastectomies for invasive carcinoma or breast prostheses. They also examined mouthwash and urine to determine the bacterial composition of other sites in the body.

In addition to detecting Methylobacterium, the team found that urine samples from cancer patients contained increased levels of Gram-positive bacteria, including Staphylococcus and Actinomyces. Further studies are needed to determine the role of these organisms in detecting breast cancer.

Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women (after skin cancer) in the United States, affecting 1 in 8 women in their lifetime.

According to TNO