Alterações do microbioma oral em pacientes com cancro

: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

Introduction: The human microbiome, made up of bacteria, fungi, viruses and their genetic material, plays an essential role in human health and disease. The oral microbiome, in particular, has been the subject of cancer-related studies, with evidence suggesting associations between oral dysbiosis and carcinogenesis. Cancer is characterized by the uncontrolled growth of aberrant cells and is a significant global public health problem. It is therefore necessary to identify specific changes associated with cancer, which can be used as effective biomarkers for the diagnosis or prognosis of this disease. The aim of this study was to identify alterations in the oral microbiome of cancer patients that may be relevant to their diagnosis or prognosis, through a systematic review of the literature. Materials and methods: The review was conducted following the PRISMA guidelines. The literature search was carried out in 2024 and includes articles from the last 10 years, in the bibliographic databases PubMed/MEDLINE®, Web of Science/MEDLINE® and Scopus® using the following search scheme: "(mouth [MeSH] OR saliva [MeSH] OR oral) AND (cancer OR neoplasms [MeSH]) AND (microbiome OR microbiota [MeSH]) AND ("changes" OR "variations" OR "alterations")". Results: The selected studies were assessed for their methodological quality and descriptive characteristics. The main type of cancer studied was oral cancer and the main type of sample used in the studies was saliva samples. The results showed that certain bacterial genera are increased in cancer patients, such as Fusobacterium, while others are decreased, such as Streptococcus. Conclusion: The oral microbiome plays a significant role in health and diseases, including cancer. Oral dysbiosis is associated with tumor processes, influencing chronic inflammation and the immune response. Understanding these interactions could lead to the development of new therapeutic strategies and improvements in treatment outcomes for cancer patients. More studies are needed to elucidate the complex relationships between the oral microbiome and cancer.

Date of Award	18 Jul 2024
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Raquel Silva (Supervisor) & Maria José Correia (Co-Supervisor)