CBS News reports on its website
that the researchers “found that two oral bacteria were elevated in the
pancreatic cancer patients: Porphyromonas gingivalis and Aggregatibacter
actinomycetemcomitans.” Individuals “who carried Porphyromonas gingivalis had
an overall 59 percent greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer, and those
who carried Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans were at least 50 percent more
likely overall to develop the disease.” The findings were presented at the
annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
Medical Daily similarly
reported that the NYU Langone Medical Center study finds “the presence of
specific bacteria in the mouth may indicate an increased risk for pancreatic
cancer.” After examining “the bacterial contents in mouthwash samples from more
than 700 Americans,” the NYU research team found that those “whose mouths
contained the bacterium Porphyromonas gingivalis had a 59 percent greater risk
of developing pancreatic cancer,” while those with Aggregatibacter
actinomycetemcomitans had “at least a 50 percent likelihood of developing the
disease.”
Infection Control Today reported that
senior investigator and epidemiologist Jiyoung Ahn, PhD, said, “Our study
offers the first direct evidence that specific changes in the microbial mix in
the mouth — the oral microbiome — represent a likely risk factor for pancreatic
cancer along with older age, male gender, smoking, African-American race, and a
family history of the disease.”
The Daily Mail reported that Dr Nigel
Carter, CEO of the UK Oral Health Foundation, said, “Further investigation into
this association needs to be carried out but if confirmed there’s no reason why
a saliva test to detect for pancreatic cancer could not be taken by your
dentist.”
