Periodontal and other oral bacteria and risk of lung cancer in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study
Menée à partir de données portant sur 4 263 participants (durée médiane de suivi : 17,5 ans ; 118 cas de cancer), cette étude prospective analyse l'association entre la présence de bactéries buccales ou parodontales et le risque de cancer du poumon
Background: Evidence suggests that periodontal disease is associated with increased lung cancer risk, but whether periodontal pathogens are explanatory is unknown. We prospectively studied associations of pre-diagnostic circulating antibodies to oral bacteria and of periodontal bacteria in subgingival plaque with lung cancer. Methods: We included 4,263 cancer-free participants in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study with previously measured serum IgG antibodies to 18 oral bacteria. In 1,287 participants for whom subgingival plaque was collected, counts for 8 periodontal bacteria were previously measured. Incident lung cancers (N=118) were ascertained through 2015 (median follow-up=17.5 years). We used Cox regression to estimate multivariable-adjusted associations, including for sums of antibodies to orange (C. rectus, F. nucleatum, P. intermedia, P. micra, P. nigrescens) and red (P. gingivalis, T. forsythensis, T. denticola) complex bacteria. Results: Orange complex bacteria antibodies were positively associated with lung cancer (per IQR HR=1.15, 95% CI 1.02-1.29), which was stronger in men (HR=1.27, 95% CI 1.08-1.49), and explained by P. intermedia and P. nigrescens (HR=1.15, 95% CI 1.04-1.26). Suggestive positive associations with lung cancer (N=40) were observed for F. nucleatum, A. actinomycetemcomitans, and P. gingivalis counts. Significant positive associations were found for count to antibody ratio for P. intermedia and P. gingivalis. Conclusions: We identified positive associations with lung cancer for oral bacteria, especially orange complex which are moderately pathogenic for periodontal disease. Impact: This prospective study supports the need for more research on periodontal bacteria in lung cancer etiology. If associations are supported, this may inform novel lung cancer prevention strategies.