Fecal profiling reveals a common microbial signature for pancreatic cancer in Finnish and Iranian cohorts
Abstract Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) presents a significant challenge in oncology because of its late-stage diagnosis and limited treatment options. The inadequacy of current screening methods has prompted investigations into stool-based assays and microbial classifiers as potential early dete...
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BMC
2025-04-01
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| Series: | Gut Pathogens |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13099-025-00698-0 |
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| author | Heidelinde Sammallahti Sama Rezasoltani Satu Pekkala Arto Kokkola Hamid Asadzadeh Agdaei Mehdi Azizmohammad Looha Reza Ghanbari Farhad Zamani Amir Sadeghi Virinder Kaur Sarhadi Marja Tiirola Pauli Puolakkainen Sakari Knuutila |
| author_facet | Heidelinde Sammallahti Sama Rezasoltani Satu Pekkala Arto Kokkola Hamid Asadzadeh Agdaei Mehdi Azizmohammad Looha Reza Ghanbari Farhad Zamani Amir Sadeghi Virinder Kaur Sarhadi Marja Tiirola Pauli Puolakkainen Sakari Knuutila |
| author_sort | Heidelinde Sammallahti |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) presents a significant challenge in oncology because of its late-stage diagnosis and limited treatment options. The inadequacy of current screening methods has prompted investigations into stool-based assays and microbial classifiers as potential early detection markers. The gut microbiota composition of PC patients may be influenced by population differences, thereby impacting the accuracy of disease prediction. However, comprehensive profiling of the PC gut microbiota and analysis of these cofactors remain limited. Therefore, we analyzed the stool microbiota of 33 Finnish and 50 Iranian PC patients along with 35 Finnish and 34 Iranian healthy controls using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We assessed similarities and differences of PC gut microbiota in both populations while considering sociocultural impacts and generated a statistical model for disease prediction based on microbial classifiers. Our aim was to expand the current understanding of the PC gut microbiota, discuss the impact of population differences, and contribute to the development of early PC diagnosis through microbial biomarkers. Results Compared with healthy controls, PC patients presented reduced microbial diversity, with discernible microbial profiles influenced by factors such as ethnicity, demographics, and lifestyle. PC was marked by significantly higher abundances of facultative pathogens including Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Fusobacteriaceae, and significantly lower abundances of beneficial bacteria. In particular, bacteria belonging to the Clostridia class, such as butyrate-producing Lachnospiraceae, Butyricicoccaceae, and Ruminococcaceae, were depleted. A microbial classifier for the prediction of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was developed in the Iranian cohort and evaluated in the Finnish cohort, where it yielded a respectable AUC of 0.88 (95% CI 0.78, 0.97). Conclusions This study highlights the potential of gut microbes as biomarkers for noninvasive PC screening and the development of targeted therapies, emphasizing the need for further research to validate these findings in diverse populations. A comprehensive understanding of the role of the gut microbiome in PC could significantly enhance early detection efforts and improve patient outcomes. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-aef2b2859ad04d428fc89a0dfdae6811 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1757-4749 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-04-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
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| series | Gut Pathogens |
| spelling | doaj-art-aef2b2859ad04d428fc89a0dfdae68112025-08-20T02:34:14ZengBMCGut Pathogens1757-47492025-04-0117112410.1186/s13099-025-00698-0Fecal profiling reveals a common microbial signature for pancreatic cancer in Finnish and Iranian cohortsHeidelinde Sammallahti0Sama Rezasoltani1Satu Pekkala2Arto Kokkola3Hamid Asadzadeh Agdaei4Mehdi Azizmohammad Looha5Reza Ghanbari6Farhad Zamani7Amir Sadeghi8Virinder Kaur Sarhadi9Marja Tiirola10Pauli Puolakkainen11Sakari Knuutila12Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of HelsinkiDivision of Oral Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Operative Dentistry, Periodontology and Preventive Dentistry, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule (RWTH) University HospitalFaculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of JyväskyläDepartment of Surgery, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University HospitalBasic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesBasic and Molecular Epidemiology of Gastrointestinal Disorders Research Center, Research Institute for Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesGene Therapy Research Center, Digestive Diseases Research Institute, Shariati Hospital, Tehran University of Medical SciencesGastrointestinal and Liver Diseases Research Center, Iran University of Medical SciencesGastroenterology and Liver Diseases Research Center, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Diseases, Helsinki University Hospital and University of HelsinkiDepartment of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Nanoscience Center, University of JyväskyläDepartment of Surgery, Abdominal Center, University of Helsinki, Helsinki University HospitalDepartment of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of HelsinkiAbstract Background Pancreatic cancer (PC) presents a significant challenge in oncology because of its late-stage diagnosis and limited treatment options. The inadequacy of current screening methods has prompted investigations into stool-based assays and microbial classifiers as potential early detection markers. The gut microbiota composition of PC patients may be influenced by population differences, thereby impacting the accuracy of disease prediction. However, comprehensive profiling of the PC gut microbiota and analysis of these cofactors remain limited. Therefore, we analyzed the stool microbiota of 33 Finnish and 50 Iranian PC patients along with 35 Finnish and 34 Iranian healthy controls using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. We assessed similarities and differences of PC gut microbiota in both populations while considering sociocultural impacts and generated a statistical model for disease prediction based on microbial classifiers. Our aim was to expand the current understanding of the PC gut microbiota, discuss the impact of population differences, and contribute to the development of early PC diagnosis through microbial biomarkers. Results Compared with healthy controls, PC patients presented reduced microbial diversity, with discernible microbial profiles influenced by factors such as ethnicity, demographics, and lifestyle. PC was marked by significantly higher abundances of facultative pathogens including Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Fusobacteriaceae, and significantly lower abundances of beneficial bacteria. In particular, bacteria belonging to the Clostridia class, such as butyrate-producing Lachnospiraceae, Butyricicoccaceae, and Ruminococcaceae, were depleted. A microbial classifier for the prediction of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) was developed in the Iranian cohort and evaluated in the Finnish cohort, where it yielded a respectable AUC of 0.88 (95% CI 0.78, 0.97). Conclusions This study highlights the potential of gut microbes as biomarkers for noninvasive PC screening and the development of targeted therapies, emphasizing the need for further research to validate these findings in diverse populations. A comprehensive understanding of the role of the gut microbiome in PC could significantly enhance early detection efforts and improve patient outcomes.https://doi.org/10.1186/s13099-025-00698-0Pancreatic cancerGut microbiotaFecal16S rRNA gene sequencingMicrobial profileMicrobial classifier |
| spellingShingle | Heidelinde Sammallahti Sama Rezasoltani Satu Pekkala Arto Kokkola Hamid Asadzadeh Agdaei Mehdi Azizmohammad Looha Reza Ghanbari Farhad Zamani Amir Sadeghi Virinder Kaur Sarhadi Marja Tiirola Pauli Puolakkainen Sakari Knuutila Fecal profiling reveals a common microbial signature for pancreatic cancer in Finnish and Iranian cohorts Gut Pathogens Pancreatic cancer Gut microbiota Fecal 16S rRNA gene sequencing Microbial profile Microbial classifier |
| title | Fecal profiling reveals a common microbial signature for pancreatic cancer in Finnish and Iranian cohorts |
| title_full | Fecal profiling reveals a common microbial signature for pancreatic cancer in Finnish and Iranian cohorts |
| title_fullStr | Fecal profiling reveals a common microbial signature for pancreatic cancer in Finnish and Iranian cohorts |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fecal profiling reveals a common microbial signature for pancreatic cancer in Finnish and Iranian cohorts |
| title_short | Fecal profiling reveals a common microbial signature for pancreatic cancer in Finnish and Iranian cohorts |
| title_sort | fecal profiling reveals a common microbial signature for pancreatic cancer in finnish and iranian cohorts |
| topic | Pancreatic cancer Gut microbiota Fecal 16S rRNA gene sequencing Microbial profile Microbial classifier |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s13099-025-00698-0 |
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