Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) significantly contributes to cancer-related mortality, necessitating the exploration of prognostic factors beyond TNM staging. This study investigates the composition of the gut microbiome and microbial DNA fragments in stage II/III CRC. Methods: A cohort of 142 patients with stage II/III CRC and 91 healthy controls underwent comprehensive microbiome analysis. Fecal samples were collected for16SrRNA sequencing, and blood samples were tested for the presence of microbial DNA fragments. De novo clustering analysis categorized individuals based on their microbial profiles. Alpha and beta diversity metrics were calculated, and taxonomic profiling was conducted. Results: Patients with CRC exhibited distinct microbial composition compared to controls. Beta diversity analysis confirmed CRC-specific microbial profiles. Taxonomic profiling revealed unique taxonomies in the patient cohort. De novo clustering separated individuals into distinct groups, with specific microbial DNA fragment detection associated with certain patient clusters. Conclusions: The gut microbiota can differentiate patients with CRC from healthy individuals. Detecting microbial DNA fragments in the bloodstream may be linked to CRC prognosis. These findings suggest that the gut microbiome could serve as a prognostic factor in stage II/III CRC. Identifying specific microbial markers associated with CRC prognosis has potential clinical implications, including personalized treatment strategies and reduced healthcare costs. Further research is needed to validate these findings and uncover underlying mechanisms.
背景：结直肠癌（CRC）是导致癌症相关死亡的重要原因，因此有必要探索TNM分期之外的预后因素。本研究旨在分析II/III期结直肠癌患者的肠道微生物组组成及血液中微生物DNA片段特征。方法：研究纳入142例II/III期结直肠癌患者及91例健康对照者，进行系统性微生物组分析。采集粪便样本进行16SrRNA测序，并检测血液样本中微生物DNA片段的存在情况。通过从头聚类分析根据微生物特征对个体进行分类，计算α和β多样性指标，并进行分类学谱分析。结果：与对照组相比，结直肠癌患者表现出独特的微生物组成特征。β多样性分析证实了结直肠癌特异的微生物谱。分类学谱分析揭示了患者队列中特有的分类单元。从头聚类分析将个体分为不同组别，特定微生物DNA片段的检测与特定患者聚类相关。结论：肠道微生物群可有效区分结直肠癌患者与健康个体。血液中微生物DNA片段的检测可能与结直肠癌预后相关。这些发现表明，肠道微生物组可作为II/III期结直肠癌的预后因素。识别与结直肠癌预后相关的特定微生物标志物具有重要临床意义，包括制定个体化治疗策略和降低医疗成本。未来需要进一步研究验证这些发现并揭示其潜在机制。
肿瘤(癌症)患者之家