Scientists in Britain have located in human urine bacteria associated with aggressive prostate cancer. The discovery could lead to new ways of diagnosing, preventing and treating the disease, one of the most common forms of cancer in men.
However, it is not yet certain that the bacteria themselves are responsible for prostate cancer or its rapid deterioration. If, however, this is confirmed, then many patient lives will probably be saved in the future.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia and Norwich University Hospitalwho made the relevant publication in the European Journal of European Urology “Oncology”, according to the BBC and the British “Guardian” and “Independent”, plan new research to see if the elimination of bacteria through antibiotics and microbiome change can prevent the appearance of aggressive tumors.
Bacterial infection is known to be involved in other cancers, with the typical case of the bacterium H.pylori which is “guilty” of ulcer and stomach cancer, but its elimination with antibiotics reduces the risk. Another case in point is the HPV virus that can cause cervical cancer.
The question now is to what extent this can happen in at least some cases of advanced prostate cancer, a disease that is not always life-threatening, especially when the tumors grow very slowly and are simply under surveillance, when many men die. with prostate cancer but not because of it.
The big challenge for doctors is early diagnosis and treatment of those patients with aggressive rapidly evolving tumors. Today’s methods – mainly the PSA blood test and biopsies – can not always lead to a reliable prediction of which cancers will be more dangerous.
The new study studied more than 600 men with and without prostate cancer, identifying in urine tests five types of anaerobic bacteria (Peptoniphilus, Porphyromonas, Fenollaria, Varibaculum and Fusobacterium) that are most common in those cancers that are eventually becoming aggressive. Men who had one or more of these types of bacteria in their urine were almost three times more likely – compared to patients who did not have such bacteria – to develop early prostate cancer.
Researcher Dr. Rachel Hirst stated that “among the things we do not yet know is how people get these bacteria and whether they actually cause cancer or whether just an inadequate immune response allows bacteria to grow. But hopefully Our findings and future research will lead to new treatment options that can slow down or even prevent aggressive prostate cancer before it develops. Our work can also lay the groundwork for new tests that will use these bacteria to predict the most effective treatment for every man’s cancer.».
The lead researcher, Professor Colin Cooper, of the University of East Anglia School of Medicine stated as possible that some of these bacteria produce hormones that promote the growth of aggressive cancerous tumors. On the other hand, he pointed out that “antibiotics do not penetrate very well into the prostate, while an antibiotic should be chosen that will kill only specific bacteria”, as some bacteria are beneficial and should not be eliminated.
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