New Types Of Bacteria Found To Be Related To Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Jul, 2022 - By SMI

Scientists found a link between aggressive forms of prostate cancer and bacteria, which are commonly found in urine and tissue samples from men with this cancer

Bacteria can suspiciously be responsible for the development of different types of cancers and now a group of scientists at the University of East Anglia discovered a link between five new types of bacteria and aggressive prostate cancer. However, at this stage it is not yet clear whether the bacteria is the main cause of cancer, yet according to the team, the finding of this study could help to develop new tests for identifying aggressive prostate cancer by monitoring the presence of these bacteria.

In this research the team investigated the link between prostate cancer and bacteria by gathering samples of urine and prostate tissue from more than 600 male subjects. Using various methods, the team detected bacteria in the samples from complete genome DNA sequencing to anaerobic culture as well as florescent microscopy. The found that five types of bacteria are linked to the most aggressive types of prostate cancer. Three of these bacteria were completely new species and the presence of these bacteria could be related to fast progression of this disease. As the research is still in its early phase, it’s too soon to determine that these bacteria are directly linked to the disease.

Furthermore, according to the scientists, finding of this study could be used for developing a promising diagnostic test for helping physicians and patients to detect aggressive prostate cancer before it starts developing. Apart from a new diagnostic tests, the findings of this study could help to understand the direct role of these bacteria in developing prostate cancer. The team raised various hypotheses explaining how the bacteria may be responsible for prostate cancer. Now the team is working on exploring potential causal mechanism behind this link.