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People with certain bacteria and fungi in their mouths may face a dramatically higher risk of pancreatic cancer — more than three times greater — according to new research from NYU Langone Health and and Perlmutter Cancer Center.
In the study, which was published in JAMA Oncology, researchers identified 27 types of bacterial and fungal species in the mouth’s microbiome that may contribute to the disease.
Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest cancers — in 2025, an estimated 67,440 Americans will be diagnosed and about 51,980 people will die from it, according to the American Cancer Society.
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“Right now, we don’t have good screening tests, and treatment options are limited — so, finding new modifiable risk factors is very important, because it can help us prevent this disease,” co-senior study author Jiyoung Ahn, Ph.D., professor of population health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and associate director for population science at NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center, told Fox News Digital.
The researchers analyzed saliva collected from 122,000 healthy adults who participated in two larger cancer studies and followed them for approximately nine years.
The investigators compared the oral microbiota found in 445 patients who developed pancreatic cancer with that of 445 randomly selected cancer-free participants.
Factors such as medical history, smoking habits, race and age were taken into account, the study authors noted.
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The investigators identified 24 species of bacteria and fungi that were associated with an increased or lowered risk of the disease, as well as three more bacteria known to be linked to both gum disease and pancreatic cancer.
Collectively, the microbes were associated with more than a threefold increased risk for developing this type of cancer.
“We cannot separate the oral cavity or oral diseases from diseases that happen elsewhere in the body.”
“Altogether, we summarized the effects of these 27 microbial species by creating a risk score that combines each species’ effect size and abundance,” Ahn told Fox News Digital. “Using this approach, we found that individuals with higher scores had a 3.5-fold increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.”
The connection between poor oral health and pancreatic cancer has been observed in previous studies, but little was known about which species of bacteria are potential culprits.
“Oral microbiome profiling could serve as a non-invasive biomarker to identify individuals at elevated risk who might benefit from enhanced surveillance, which is especially important given the lack of effective early detection methods for pancreatic cancer,” Ahn noted.
These findings emphasize the importance of maintaining good oral hygiene through regular brushing, flossing and dental care.
“This is a modifiable factor for pancreatic cancer prevention,” Ahn said. “This also aligns with broader public health messages, such as the U.S. surgeon general’s report emphasizing that oral health has important effects on overall systemic health.”
Florencia McAllister, M.D., associate professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University of Texas, has been tracking microbes in the oral cavity and stool samples.
“In the future, microbial characterization and modulation may be an important part of personalized cancer prevention,” McAllister, who was not associated with the study, told Fox News Digital.
Further investigation is needed to determine whether microbes play a role in cancer development or whether other causes, such as genetics or immunosuppression, are at play, according to the doctor.
Dr. Purnima Kumar, chair of the department of periodontics and oral medicine at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry, confirmed the link between oral health and disease.
“We cannot separate the oral cavity or oral diseases from diseases that happen elsewhere in the body,” Kumar, who is also a spokesperson for the American Dental Association, told Fox News Digital. (She was not involved in the study.)
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To promote a healthy oral microbiome, the dentist recommends brushing and flossing regularly and performing consistent dental exams.
“This is a modifiable factor for pancreatic cancer prevention.”
Dietary choices and lifestyle habits — such as alcohol use, smoking and vaping — can also affect oral health, Kumar noted.
The study did have some limitations, the study authors acknowledged.
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For example, the research established only a correlation between pancreatic cancer risk and oral microbes, and further studies are needed to establish a direct cause and effect.
Moving forward, the team will investigate whether viruses in the mouth contribute to cancer and if the microbiome plays a role in survival outcomes.
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