​Researchers at Guy’s and St Thomas’ and King’s College London have found a bacteria that is toxic for head and neck cancer and could lead to better outcomes for patients.

Fusobacterium is usually associated with the progression of bowel cancer. However, research published in Cancer Communications showed that in the most common type of head and neck cancer, Fusobacterium, does the opposite. The bacteria destroyed tumour cells and could act as a biomarker for how patients will react to treatment.

Head and neck cancer is the sixth most common cancer globally, and around 1,000 people in the UK are diagnosed every month. Survival rates widely vary, depending on how far the cancer has spread at the time of diagnosis. There have been few therapeutic advances in the last 20 years.

Through international collaboration, the team of researchers led by Miguel Reis Ferreira, consultant in head and neck cancers at Guy’s and St Thomas’, found that head and neck cancer patients harbouring higher levels of Fusobacterium (commonly found in the mouth) consistently had a better prognosis, than those with lower levels of the bacteria.

Following these observations, Anjali Chander, a senior clinical research fellow at King’s College London and lead author, found a 70 to 99 per cent reduction in the number of viable cancer cells in head and neck cancer cell cultures after being infected with Fusobacterium. The bacteria destroy the tumour by releasing toxic molecules, reducing its viability.

Miguel, senior author, said, “This research reveals that these bacteria play a more complex role than previously known in their relationship with cancer - that they essentially melt head and neck cancer cells. However, this finding should be balanced by their known role in making cancers, such as those in the bowel, get worse.

“Next we want to better understand how we can translate this new knowledge into improvements in the treatment of patients with head and neck, and other cancers.”

The study has helped further knowledge of how bacteria and cancers interact. It is the first step in optimising head and neck cancer treatment outcomes for patients, by helping to develop treatments with less side effects.

Anjali said, “Our findings are remarkable and very surprising. We had a eureka moment when we found that our international colleagues also found data that validated the discovery.”

Author: