来自美国微生物学会的消息，研究发现胰腺癌病人的口腔微生物组成模式与健康对照之间存在明显的差异。这一发现将会对胰腺癌的早期诊断提供巨大的帮助。胰腺癌是致死率第四位的癌症，严重威胁人类健康。对于胰腺癌的准确早期诊断将大大提高病人的成活率，然而不幸的是，目前尚未发展出一种有效的对胰腺癌进行早期诊断的技术方法。

    在这项最新的研究中，研究组一共收集了131位病人的样本，其中女性63人，男性68人。这131人中，14人已经被确诊患有胰腺癌，13人患有胰腺疾病，22人患有其他类型的癌症，10人身体健康。结果显示患有胰腺癌的病人组中另种口腔微生物（Leptotrichia和Campylobacter）的组分显著高于其他组别。同时另外三种口腔微生物（Streptococcus,Treponema和Veillonella）的组分显著低于其他组别。

    原文：

    Patients with pancreatic cancer have a different and distinct profile of specific bacteria in their saliva compared to healthy controls and even patients with other cancers or pancreatic diseases, according to research presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Microbiology. These findings could form the basis for a test to diagnose the disease in its early stages.

    “Our studies suggest that ratios of particular types of bacteria found in saliva may be indicative of pancreatic cancer,” says Pedro Torres of San Diego State University who presented the research.

    In the United States, approximately 40,000 people die every year due to pancreatic adenocarcinoma, making it the fourth leading cause of cancer related death. Patients diagnosed in the early stages of pancreatic cancer have a 5-year survival rate of 21.5%. Unfortunately symptoms do not appear until after the cancer has become untreatable in the vast majority of cases, says Torres.

    In the study, Torres and his colleagues compared the diversity of saliva bacteria across 131 patients, 63 female and 68 male, being treated at the University of California, San Diego （UCSD） Moores Cancer Center. Of these patients, 14 had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, 13 with pancreatic disease, 22 with other forms of cancer and 10 disease free. Results showed that patients diagnosed with pancreatic cancer had higher levels of two particular oral bacteria, Leptotrichia and Campylobacter, when compared to any other healthy or diseased state including non-cancerous pancreatic disease. Those with pancreatic cancer also had lower levels of Streptococcus, Treponema and Veillonella.

    “Our results suggest the presence of a consistently distinct microbial profile for pancreatic cancer,” says Torres. “We may be able to detect pancreatic cancer at its early stages by taking individuals' saliva and looking at the ratios of these bacteria.”