Association of gut microbiome and oral cavity cancer: A two sample mendelian randomization and case-control study

Xinpeng Liu; Xinping Li; Menglan Xie; Jinyuan Guo; Xianghuai Zheng; Shanwei Shi; Qiuju Cui; Danya Zhang; Zhaoqiang Zhang; Zhiping Wang

doi:10.1016/j.jormas.2023.101736

Association of gut microbiome and oral cavity cancer: A two sample mendelian randomization and case-control study

J Stomatol Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2023 Dec 10;125(4):101736. doi: 10.1016/j.jormas.2023.101736. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, No. 366, South of Jiangnan Boulevard, Guangzhou, 510280, P.R. China.
² Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, No. 366, South of Jiangnan Boulevard, Guangzhou, 510280, P.R. China. Electronic address: 187234415@qq.com.
³ Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Stomatological Hospital, School of Stomatology, Southern Medical University, No. 366, South of Jiangnan Boulevard, Guangzhou, 510280, P.R. China. Electronic address: sum20004218@163.com.

PMID: 38086473
DOI: 10.1016/j.jormas.2023.101736

Abstract

Introduction: Considering the interconnectedness of the oral cavity and gut tract and the presence of abundant natural microbiota in both. We utilized Mendelian Randomization (MR) in a two-sample study to unveil the genetic causal impact of gut microbiota on the development of oral cavity cancer.

Materials & methods: The instrumental variables employed in this study consisted of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that demonstrated a robust association with 211 distinct gut microbiota taxa, encompassing a sample size of 18,340 individuals. Our investigation sought to explore the potential causal relationship between these genetic variants and the incidence of oral cavity cancer. To accomplish this, we adopted a random effect inverse variance-weighted approach to analyze the causal effect. Additionally, sensitivity analyses were performed utilizing Cochran's Q tests, funnel plots, leave-one-out analyses, and MR-Egger intercept tests, to assess the robustness and validity of our findings.

Results: Five gut microbiota taxa (the family Prevotellaceae, the genus Alloprevotella, the genus Erysipelatoclostridium, the genus Parabacteroides, the genus Ruminococcus gauvreauii group) are predicted to play a causal role in promoting the initiation of the risk of oral cavity cancer. While the genus Christensenellaceae R 7 group, the genus Intestinimonas, the genus Ruminococcaceae, and the order Bacillales causally reduce the risk of oral cavity cancer. Furthermore, no significant evidence suggesting heterogeneity or pleiotropy was observed.

Discussion: The novel genetic causal effects of 211 gut microbiota taxa on oral cavity cancer are elucidated in this investigation, thus offering valuable insights for clinical interventions targeting oral cavity cancer.

Keywords: Gut microbiota; Mendelian randomization; Oral cavity cancer.