The stomach plays an essential role in digestion, helping break down food and begin the process of absorbing nutrients. Because stomach cancer can develop without obvious symptoms in its early stages, researchers have been searching for simpler ways to identify people who may be at increased risk.
One promising area of research is surprisingly close to home: the bacteria living in your mouth.
A study presented at Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2024 found that people with stomach cancer or precancerous stomach conditions had distinct patterns of bacteria in their mouths compared with healthy participants. The findings raise the possibility that a simple mouthwash or oral-rinse test could eventually help identify people at higher risk.
A Simple Mouthwash Test Could Offer a New Clue
Researchers from Rutgers Cancer Institute and collaborating institutions analyzed oral samples from 98 people who were undergoing evaluation with endoscopy.
The group included:
- 30 people with gastric cancer
- 30 people with precancerous gastric conditions
- 38 people without these conditions
Researchers analyzed the genetic makeup of bacteria found in mouthwash samples and discovered significant differences between the groups.
More than 30 bacterial genera were found to differ between participants with gastric cancer and healthy controls. The researchers also identified distinct microbial patterns in people with precancerous conditions.
These results suggest that the oral microbiome may contain biological clues associated with what is happening in the stomach.
However, this does not mean that a mouthwash test can currently diagnose stomach cancer.
The researchers themselves emphasized that larger studies are needed to validate the findings before such a test could become part of routine screening.
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