Tongue coating microbiome data distinguish patients with pancreatic head cancer from healthy controls

ABSTRACT Background: The microbiota plays a critical role in the process of human carcinogenesis. Pancreatic head carcinoma (PHC)-associated tongue coating microbiome dysbiosis has not yet been clearly defined.Objective: Our aim is to reveal the bacterial composition shifts in the microbiota of the tongue coat of PHC patients.Design: The tongue coating microbiota was analyzed in 30 PHC patients and 25 healthy controls using 16S rRNA gene sequencing technology.Results: The microbiome diversity of the tongue coat in PHC patients was significantly increased, as shown by the Shannon, Simpson, inverse Simpson, Obs and incidence-based coverage estimators. Principal component analysis revealed that PHC patients were colonized by remarkably different tongue coating microbiota than healthy controls and liver cancer patients. Linear discriminant analysis effect size revealed that Leptotrichia, Fusobacterium,Rothia, Actinomyces, Corynebacterium, Atopobium, Peptostreptococcus, Catonella, Oribacterium, Filifactor, Cam...