Fusobacterium nucleatum tumor DNA levels are associated with survival in colorectal cancer patients

Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T17:16:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-01-01There is increasing evidence indicating a role for Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) in colorectal cancer (CRC) development and prognosis. This study evaluated F. nucleatum as a prognostic biomarker, by assessing its association with post-diagnosis survival from CRC. From September 2008 to April 2012 CRC patients (n = 190) were recruited from three hospitals within the Czech Republic. F. nucleatum DNA copies were measured in adjacent non-malignant and colorectal tumor tissues using quantitative real-time PCR. Cox Proportional Hazards (HR) models were applied to evaluate the association between F. nucleatum DNA and overall survival, adjusting for key confounders. Risk prediction modeling was conducted to evaluate the ability to predict survival based on F. nucleatum status. High, compared with low, levels of F. nucleatum in colorectal tumor tissues were associated with poorer overall survival (adjusted HR 1.68, 95% CI 1.02–2.77), which was slightly attenuated after additional adjustment for microsatellite instability status. However, inclusion of F. nucleatum in risk prediction models did not improve the ability to identify patients who died beyond known prognostic factors such as disease pathology staging. Although the increased presence of F. nucleatum was associated with poorer prognosis in CRC patients, this may have limited clinical relevance as a prognostic biomarker.Centre for Public Health Queen’s University BelfastDepartment of Biology São Paulo State University UNESPInstitute of Biology and Medical Genetics First Faculty of Medicine Charles UniversityDepartment of Molecular Biology of Cancer Institute of Experimental Medicine of the Czech Academy of SciencesDepartment of Surgery General University Hospital in PragueDepartment of Surgery First Faculty of Medicine Charles University and Thomayer HospitalBiomedical Centre Faculty of Medicine in Pilsen Charles UniversityDepartment of Oncology First Faculty of Medicine Charles University and Thomayer HospitalCancer Biology and Therapeutics Group School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science UCD Conway Institute University College DublinDepartment of Biology São Paulo State University UNES