Metagenomic Profiling of Oral Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients
ABSTRACT Background We explored the interaction between the oral microbiome and the development of radiation‐induced mucositis in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). We prospectively studied the oral microbiome and compared it to healthy contr...
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2025-01-01
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| Series: | Cancer Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.70589 |
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| author | Dominique A. Torozan Cédric Christian Laczny Kirsten Roomp Paul Wilmes Jochen Fleckenstein Jochen G. Schneider |
| author_facet | Dominique A. Torozan Cédric Christian Laczny Kirsten Roomp Paul Wilmes Jochen Fleckenstein Jochen G. Schneider |
| author_sort | Dominique A. Torozan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT Background We explored the interaction between the oral microbiome and the development of radiation‐induced mucositis in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). We prospectively studied the oral microbiome and compared it to healthy controls. Additionally, we compared patients with low‐grade (LGM) vs. high‐grade mucositis (HGM). Methods Ten HNSCC patients scheduled for CRT were included. Saliva samples were characterized prior to, during, and nine months after CRT using metagenomic sequencing. We similarly characterized samples from seven healthy controls. We assessed alpha and beta diversity and examined abundances at different taxonomic levels between (sub)groups. Results Patients exhibited significantly reduced alpha diversity compared to controls at all times (p ⟨ 0.05). Differential abundance of taxa between patients and controls was observed at baseline. In patients, the relative abundance of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli increased significantly during CRT. Capnocytophaga spp. was associated with the definitive CRT patients' subgroup. At baseline, two fungal families (Melampsoraceae and Herpotrichiellaceaea) were more abundant in patients who later developed HGM. No differentially abundant taxa were found between LGM vs. HGM during irradiation. Conclusion Our findings support the hypothesis that CRT, as well as HNSCC itself, influences the composition of the oral microbiome. Microbial markers found in patients who later developed HGM should be evaluated using independent cohorts to qualify their specific biomarker potential. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-d7482aac79f4494aaf9f7697441e4e31 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-7634 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
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| series | Cancer Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-d7482aac79f4494aaf9f7697441e4e312025-01-13T13:22:39ZengWileyCancer Medicine2045-76342025-01-01141n/an/a10.1002/cam4.70589Metagenomic Profiling of Oral Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma PatientsDominique A. Torozan0Cédric Christian Laczny1Kirsten Roomp2Paul Wilmes3Jochen Fleckenstein4Jochen G. Schneider5Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Saarland University Homburg GermanyLuxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine University of Luxembourg Belvaux LuxembourgLuxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine University of Luxembourg Belvaux LuxembourgLuxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine University of Luxembourg Belvaux LuxembourgDepartment of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University Hospital Saarland University Homburg GermanyLuxembourg Centre for Systems Biomedicine University of Luxembourg Belvaux LuxembourgABSTRACT Background We explored the interaction between the oral microbiome and the development of radiation‐induced mucositis in patients with head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) undergoing chemoradiotherapy (CRT). We prospectively studied the oral microbiome and compared it to healthy controls. Additionally, we compared patients with low‐grade (LGM) vs. high‐grade mucositis (HGM). Methods Ten HNSCC patients scheduled for CRT were included. Saliva samples were characterized prior to, during, and nine months after CRT using metagenomic sequencing. We similarly characterized samples from seven healthy controls. We assessed alpha and beta diversity and examined abundances at different taxonomic levels between (sub)groups. Results Patients exhibited significantly reduced alpha diversity compared to controls at all times (p ⟨ 0.05). Differential abundance of taxa between patients and controls was observed at baseline. In patients, the relative abundance of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli increased significantly during CRT. Capnocytophaga spp. was associated with the definitive CRT patients' subgroup. At baseline, two fungal families (Melampsoraceae and Herpotrichiellaceaea) were more abundant in patients who later developed HGM. No differentially abundant taxa were found between LGM vs. HGM during irradiation. Conclusion Our findings support the hypothesis that CRT, as well as HNSCC itself, influences the composition of the oral microbiome. Microbial markers found in patients who later developed HGM should be evaluated using independent cohorts to qualify their specific biomarker potential.https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.70589chemoradiotherapyhead and neck cancermetagenomic sequencingoral microbiomeradiation‐induced oral mucositis |
| spellingShingle | Dominique A. Torozan Cédric Christian Laczny Kirsten Roomp Paul Wilmes Jochen Fleckenstein Jochen G. Schneider Metagenomic Profiling of Oral Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients Cancer Medicine chemoradiotherapy head and neck cancer metagenomic sequencing oral microbiome radiation‐induced oral mucositis |
| title | Metagenomic Profiling of Oral Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients |
| title_full | Metagenomic Profiling of Oral Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients |
| title_fullStr | Metagenomic Profiling of Oral Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients |
| title_full_unstemmed | Metagenomic Profiling of Oral Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients |
| title_short | Metagenomic Profiling of Oral Microbiome Dynamics During Chemoradiotherapy in Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma Patients |
| title_sort | metagenomic profiling of oral microbiome dynamics during chemoradiotherapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma patients |
| topic | chemoradiotherapy head and neck cancer metagenomic sequencing oral microbiome radiation‐induced oral mucositis |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/cam4.70589 |
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