Scientific Reports - Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a heterogeneous disease and recent advances in subtype classification have successfully stratified the disease using molecular profiling. The contribution of bacterial species to CRC development is increasingly acknowledged, and here, we sought to analyse CRC microbiomes and relate them to tumour consensus molecular subtypes (CMS), in order to better understand the relationship between bacterial species and the molecular mechanisms associated with CRC subtypes

In this study, a group of scientists from New Zealand has identified, for the first time, distinct microbial populations associated with subtypes of CRC. The results achieved may have clinical utility for CRC screening, diagnosis and treatment.

 

Distinct gut microbiome patterns associate with consensus molecular subtypes of colorectal cancer

 

Authors: Rachel V. Purcell, Martina Visnovska, Patrick J. Biggs, Sebastian Schmeier & Frank A. Frizelle

Scientific Reports - doi:10.1038/s41598-017-11237-6  -  21 August 2017