Skip to main content
About the Institute
  • English
  • Français
  • Español
  • Russian
  • Portuguese
  • Polish

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gastroenterology
  3. Pancreatic cancer: non-invasive early diagnosis thanks to the fecal microbiota?
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic pages
    • Experts' point of view
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
  • Useful documents
    • How to talk about
    • Infographics
    • IBS Diagnosis Check List
    • Patients Stories

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section
Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
General Medicine

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Gastroenterology
  3. Pancreatic cancer: non-invasive early diagnosis thanks to the fecal microbiota?
Gastroenterology

Pancreatic cancer: non-invasive early diagnosis thanks to the fecal microbiota?

Cancer
Oncology Gastroenterology

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most difficult cancers to diagnose. Despite a low incidence rate, it has a particularly high mortality rate, due to late diagnosis and limited therapeutic options. Can the microbiota change this?

Gastroenterology
Gynecology
Pediatrics
General Medicine
  • Our publications
    • News
    • Microbiota Mag
    • Thematic pages
    • Experts' point of view
    • Thematic folders
    • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
  • About the Institute
    • About us
    • International Microbiota Observatory
    • Press room
    • Partnerships
  • Congresses
    • Congress calendar
    • Congress reviews
  • Continuing Medical Education
    • Accrediting courses
  • Useful documents
    • How to talk about
    • Infographics
    • IBS Diagnosis Check List
    • Patients Stories

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

Lay public section

Find here your dedicated section

Sources

This article is based on scientific information

Sharing is caring

Your colleagues might be interested in this topic. Why not share it?

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
Cancer du pancréas : un diagnostic précoce non invasif grâce au microbiote fécal ?

About this article

Created 16 June 2022
Updated 23 January 2024

Yes, according to the work of a German-Spanish team published in the journal Gut in 2022. Based on the observation that alterations in the oral, fecal, and pancreatic microbiota are associated with an increased risk of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the researchers sought to assess the potential of the salivary and fecal microbiota as diagnostic tools for the disease. The only PDAC marker approved by the (sidenote: Food and Drug Administration US Federal Agency responsible for pharmacovigilance ) to date is carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA 19-9), which has limited sensitivity and specificity.

Diagnostic biomarkers identified via two cohorts

To evaluate the potential of the salivary and fecal microbiota as diagnostic biomarkers of PDAC, the researchers performed a metagenomic analysis (16S rRNA and shotgun sequencing) on fecal and saliva samples from two cohorts: 

  • The first cohort (prediction cohort) included 136 Spanish patients divided into three groups (57 PDAC patients who had not started treatment, 29 patients with chronic pancreatitis, 50 controls);
  • The second cohort (validation cohort) included 76 German patients (32 PDAC patients, 32 controls).

Lastly, the specificity of the model was validated against 5,792 gut metagenomic profiles from 25 public databases.

Fecal microbiota: superior diagnostic performance

The fecal microbiota performed better (AUROC=0.84) than the salivary microbiota in accurately identifying patients with PDAC based on a set of 27 species, regardless of the disease phase (Spanish prediction cohort). Accuracy increased (AUROC=0.94) when fecal metagenomic analyses were combined with the serum marker CA 19-9. Both models were validated against the independent German cohort (AUROC=0.83) and against the gut metagenomic profiles of 5,792 patients across 18 countries suffering from various diseases (PDAC, obesity, diabetes, colorectal cancer, etc.): in both cases, PDAC-specific fecal metagenomic signatures were detected with accuracy. Lastly, several fecal PDAC marker species were detectable in pancreatic tumor and non-tumor tissue.

Towards new diagnostic methods?

The results of this study hold out hope for the early diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. They may lead to the development of a robust, non-invasive, low-cost, and effective method of detecting this type of cancer right from its early stages. Beyond diagnosis, the researchers suggest that these PDAC-specific bacteria may also open new prevention and therapeutic avenues for the disease.

Recommended by our community

"Very Good"  -@TuCao50982078 (From Biocodex Microbiota Institute on X)

Sources

Kartal E, Schmidt TSB, Molina-Montes E, et al. A faecal microbiota signature with high specificity for pancreatic cancer. Gut. 2022 Mar 8:gutjnl-2021-324755

Tags
Cancer Pancreatic cancer Predictor Pancreas Microbiome Flora

    See also

    Pancreatic cancer: could duodenal fluid be a risk marker?
    The lingual microbiota, biomarker of pancreatic cancer?
    Created 16 June 2022
    Updated 23 January 2024

    About this article

    To know more about this topic.

    Main topic

    Cancer

    Medical practice

    Oncology Gastroenterology

    Content type

    News
    Gastroenterology

    Association between fungal dysbiosis and environment

    The fungal portion of the gut microbiota (or mycobiota) has been much less studied than the bacterial porti...

    Find out more

    Your IBS Diagnosis Check List

    How many patients suffering from gut disorder do you see per week? How many are diagnosed with Irritable Bo...

    Find out more

    Probiotics: what exactly are we talking about?

    From the Latin pro and Greek bios meaning “for life”, the term “probiotic” was suggested over 60 years ago,...

    Find out more

    How do you choose a probiotic for your patient?

    Faced with a plethora of products on the market, it's not always easy for health professionals to suggest a...

    Find out more

    The Janus face of Antibiotics: Life Savers and Microbiota Disruptors

    A page turns: with the advent of antibiotics in the 20th century, this type of therapy, despite its undoubt...

    Find out more

    Fecal transplantation - ready for prime time?

    Congress review By Pr. Danny De Looze Department of Gastroenterology University Hospital Gent, Belgium ...

    Find out more

    Focus on antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD)

    Find out more

    Dampening gastrointestinal inflammation through nutrition

    by Dr Genelle Healey

    Find out more

    Continue reading

    News
    Photo: Régime méditerranéen « vert » : quels liens entre santé cardiométabolique et microbiote intestinal ?
    10.06.2022

    Green Mediterranean diet: what links between cardiometabolic health and gut microbiota?

    Read the article
    09.01.2025

    3 Keys to a successful consultation by Harry Sokol

    Read the article
    26.05.2025

    Celiac disease: the downside of going gluten-free

    Read the article
    07.02.2025

    Your functional dyspepsia diagnosis check list

    Read the article
    Everything you need to know about the microbiota gut-brain axis
    28.01.2025

    How does the gut microbiota affect the brain?

    Read the article
    Actu PRO : Malnutrition : agir sur le microbiote pour améliorer la croissance, un prototype à l’essai
    08.07.2021

    Malnutrition: acting on the microbiota in order to improve growth, a trial prototype

    Read the article
    07.05.2025

    The microbial-metabolic nexus in colon cancer

    Read the article
    17.04.2025

    Sensitivity to the additive E466: the role of the microbiota

    Read the article
    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section
    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine
    • English
    • Français
    • Español
    • Russian
    • Portuguese
    • Polish

    Browse the site

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Redirection

    You are about to be redirected and leave our website

    • Be redirected
    • Stay on the Biocodex Microbiota Institute's website

    Stay with us !

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    Explore

    11.06.2025

    How menopause impacts microbiota

    Read the article
    04.06.2025

    A handful of bacteria are the signature of chronic pain

    Read the article
    26.05.2025

    Celiac disease: the downside of going gluten-free

    Read the article

    Stay updated

    Join the Microbiota Community of HCPs and researchers and receive “Microbiota Digest” and "Microbiota Mag" to stay up to date on the latest news about microbiota.

    * Mandatory Fields

    BMI 20-35

    • Our publications
      • News
      • Microbiota Mag
      • Thematic pages
      • Experts' point of view
      • Thematic folders
      • Overviews - Microbiota Magazine
    • About the Institute
      • About us
      • International Microbiota Observatory
      • Press room
      • Partnerships
    • Congresses
      • Congress calendar
      • Congress reviews
    • Continuing Medical Education
      • Accrediting courses
    • Useful documents
      • How to talk about
      • Infographics
      • IBS Diagnosis Check List
      • Patients Stories

      Join the microbiota community

      • Facebook
      • Twitter
      • LinkedIn
      • YouTube
      • Instagram
      • Bluesky

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Discover

    Gastroenterology
    Gynecology
    Pediatrics
    General Medicine

    Lay public section

    Find here your dedicated section

    Join the microbiota community

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • LinkedIn
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    • Bluesky

    © 2025 Biocodex. All rights reserved.

    • Legal notice
    • GTU
    • Data protection policy
    • Sitemap
    • Cookies settings
    • Digital accessibility : partially compliant
    Biocodex logo