Microbiome confounders and quantitative profiling challenge predicted microbial targets in colorectal cancer development.

ABSTRACT: Despite substantial progress in cancer microbiome research, recognized confounders and advances in absolute microbiome quantification remain underused; this raises concerns regarding potential spurious associations. Here we study the fecal microbiota of 589 patients at different colorectal cancer (CRC) stages and compare observations with up to 15 published studies (4,439 patients and controls total). Using quantitative microbiome profiling based on 16S ribosomal RNA amplicon sequencing, combined with rigorous confounder control, we identified transit time, fecal calprotectin (intestinal inflammation) and body mass index as primary microbial covariates, superseding variance explained by CRC diagnostic groups. Well-established microbiome CRC targets, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, did not

SUBMITTER: Tito RY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11108775 | biostudies-literature | 2024 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature