Gut Microbes Could Enable Early Detection and Treatment of Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic cancer remains one of the most serious and challenging diseases in oncology due to its difficulty in detection and limited treatment options. Now, a new international collaborative study suggests that in the future, early-stage pancreatic cancer could potentially be identified through the analysis of gut microbes. These microbes may also present new opportunities for developing therapies.

In this study, researchers from the University of Jyväskylä (Jyväskylä, Finland) and their collaborators analyzed the gut microbiota of over 180 pancreatic cancer patients from Finland and Iran, along with healthy individuals from the same regions. They discovered consistent microbial patterns associated with pancreatic cancer regardless of the patients' geographic or ethnic backgrounds. Compared to the healthy group, the intestinal microbiota of pancreatic cancer patients contained significantly more facultative pathogens and notably fewer beneficial bacteria. Specifically, a decline was observed in helpful bacteria from the Clostridia class, such as the butyric acid–producing Lachnospiraceae, Butyricicoccaceae, and Ruminococcaceae. In contrast, higher levels of potential pathogens like Enterobacteriaceae, Enterococcaceae, and Fusobacteriaceae were found in the gut flora of those with pancreatic cancer.

Image: Gut microbes may help in recognizing and treating pancreatic cancer (Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock)

Based on these findings, the researchers propose that future investigations should explore whether these beneficial microbes could be developed into a new class of probiotics—live microbial products—that could be used alongside standard chemotherapy. This combination could potentially offer a more precise and effective method for treating pancreatic cancer. At the same time, the researchers stress the importance of conducting additional studies in varied populations to validate these results. Furthermore, they created a statistical model using microbiome data, which may eventually assist in predicting pancreatic cancer. This marks a promising initial step toward achieving earlier diagnosis of the disease.

“The findings on beneficial Clostridia are interesting because it has been shown earlier that ordinary Clostridiales populations effectively mediate anti-canceric immune reactions against solid tumors,” said Satu Pekkala, Senior Lecturer from the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences, University of Jyväskylä.