Relationships among breast, gut, and oral microbiota across diverse pathological types of breast cancer, a Chinese cohort study

Abstract

Background: Recent research has unveiled the association between microbiota and the onset and progression of breast cancer (BC). This study investigates the microbiota in breast tissue, the gut, and the oral cavity in relation to different pathological types of breast diseases, aiming to unveil the microbiota-BC relationship and provide new perspectives for BC diagnosis and treatment. Methods: The study encompassed a total of 98 breast cancer patients, with 52 diagnosed with Luminal A BC, 17 with Luminal B BC, 18 with HER2 BC, and 11 with TNBC. In addition, there were 46 patients with non-malignant breast diseases. The V3-V5 region of the 16S rRNA gene of breast tissue, feces, and the oral cavity was sequenced. Based on Amplicon Sequence Variants (ASV) representative sequences and abundance information, a series of statistical analyses were conducted including community diversity analysis, community composition analysis, species difference analysis, correlation analysis, and functional prediction analysis. Results: Notable divergences in α-diversity and β-diversity were discerned in breast tissue between BC patients and non-malignant breast disease patients. The linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) and random forest examinations pinpoint Pasteurellaceae as a significant predictor in BC cohorts. Further exploration revealed significant microbial distribution divergences across distinct pathological types of BC, with notable variations in the relative abundance of microbial species such as Streptococcus, Serratia, and Pseudomonas, underscoring the diverse microbial diversity across BC subtypes and sample origins. Conclusion: This venture sheds light on the complex microbiota milieu across varying body sites and pathological types of BC, emphasizing microbiota-BC connectivity. This articulation of a multisite microbiota-BC interrelation significantly advances a holistic grasp of BC pathogenesis.