Butyricimonas is a key gut microbiome component for predicting postoperative recurrence of esophageal cancer

• DOI: 10.1007/s00262-023-03608-y
• Publication Date: 2024-01-27T11:02:21Z
• Authors: Koji Otsuka; Junya Isobe; Yoshiyuki Asai; Tomohisa Nakano; Kouya Hattori; Tomotake Ariyoshi; Takeshi Yamashita; Kentaro Motegi; Akira Saito; Masahiro Kohmoto; Masahiro Hosonuma; Atsuo Kuramasu; Yuta Baba; Masakazu Murayama; Yoichiro Narikawa; Hitoshi Toyoda; Eiji Funayama; Kohei Tajima; Midori Shida; Yuya Hirasawa; Toshiaki Tsurui; Hirotsugu Ariizumi; Tomoyuki Ishiguro; Risako Suzuki; Ryotaro Ohkuma; Yutaro Kubota; Takehiko Sambe; Mayumi Tsuji; Satoshi Wada; Yuji Kiuchi; Shinichi Kobayashi; Atsushi Horiike; Satoru Goto; Masahiko Murakami; Yun-Gi Kim; Takuya Tsunoda; Kiyoshi Yoshimura
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; Feces; 03 medical and health sciences; Bacteria; Esophageal Neoplasms; Research; RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; Humans; Neoplasm Recurrence, Local; Biomarkers; Gastrointestinal Microbiome

Abstract Background Recently, intestinal bacteria have attracted attention as factors affecting the prognosis of patients with cancer. However, the intestinal microbiome is composed of several hundred types of bacteria, necessitating the development of an analytical method that can allow the use of this information as a highly accurate biomarker. In this study, we investigated whether the preoperative intestinal bacterial profile in patients with esophageal cancer who underwent surgery after preoperative chemotherapy could be used as a biomarker of postoperative recurrence of esophageal cancer.

Methods We determined the gut microbiome of the patients using 16S rRNA metagenome sequencing, followed by statistical analysis. Simultaneously, we performed a machine learning analysis using a random forest model with hyperparameter tuning and compared the data obtained.

Results Statistical and machine learning analyses revealed two common bacterial genera, Butyricimonas and Actinomyces, which were abundant in cases with recurrent esophageal cancer. Butyricimonas primarily produces butyrate, whereas Actinomyces are oral bacteria whose function in the gut is unknown.

Conclusion Our results indicate that Butyricimonas spp. may be a biomarker of postoperative recurrence of esophageal cancer. Although the extent of the involvement of these bacteria in immune regulation remains unknown, future research should investigate their presence in other pathological conditions. Such research could potentially lead to a better understanding of the immunological impact of these bacteria on patients with cancer and their application as biomarkers.