The bacteria living in your mouth could increase your risk of pancreatic cancer

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-09-19 01:00

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The types of bacteria and fungi living in your mouth could alter your risk of developing pancreatic cancer, according to a US study that compared the mouth bugs of around 450 people with pancreatic cancer to 450 without the disease. They found that 3 nasty bacteria living in your mouth - P gingivalis, E nodatum, and P
micra - were linked with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. They also identified an additional 20 bacteria, and 4 fungi, which together were linked to a more than 3-fold increase in the risk for pancreatic cancer.

Media release

From: JAMA

Oral Bacterial and Fungal Microbiome and Subsequent Risk for Pancreatic Cancer
JAMA Oncology

About The Study: In this cohort study, oral bacteria and fungi were significant risk factors for pancreatic cancer development. Oral microbiota hold promise as biomarkers to identify individuals at high risk of pancreatic cancer, potentially contributing to personalized prevention.

(doi:10.1001/jamaoncol.2025.3377)
Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of interest and financial disclosures, and funding and support.
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Journal/
conference: JAMA Oncology

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: NYU Grossman School of Medicine, USA

Funder: Research reported in this publication was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health under award numbers P20CA252728, R01CA159036, U01CA250186, P30CA016087, R01LM014085, and Research Original Investigation Oral Bacterial and Fungal Microbiome and Subsequent Risk for Pancreatic Cancer E8 JAMA Oncology Published online September 18, 2025 (Reprinted) jamaoncology.com Confidential: Embargoed Until 11:00 am ET, September 18, 2025. Do Not Distribute © 2025 American Medical Association. All rights reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. U24ES036002. Samples were sequenced at the NYU School of Medicine Genome Technology Center. The American Cancer Society funds the creation, maintenance, and updating of the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study-II cohort.

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