Oral microbiome characterization in oral mucositis patients - a systematic review

Background: Oral mucositis (OM) is a severe and common adverse effect of cancer treatment. The oral microbiome appears to play a role on the onset and severity of OM. Therefore, this systematic review aims to characterize the oral dysbiosis associated with OM. Methods: The PRISMA checklist was followed and PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were screened for clinical studies characterizing the oral microbiome alterations in patients with OM. Results: From a total of 2500 articles retrieved, we included nine articles in this systematic review. Certain types of bacteria, as Fusobacterium, were recognized as predictors of the onset of OM. In addition, it was reported that patients with severe OM presented a reduction in alpha-diversity, an increase in beta-diversity. The abundance of some taxa significantly changed with OM severity, with Bacillota phylum and genera Leptotrichia, Actinomyces, and Prevotella decreasing and Treponema increasing with disease progression. Additionally, during cancer treatment, changes in the oral microbiome have been observed in OM patients, with an increase in Candida and nosocomial pathogens, including Staphylococcus species. Conclusion: Our review indicates that cancer treatment can significantly alter the oral microbiome, with more pronounced changes observed in patients with severe OM in all relevant oral phyla, but more pronounced in Bacillota phylum.