Yet again the oral microbiome has been linked to pancreatic cancer risk. Three oral bacterial periodontal pathogens, 20 additional bacteria, and 4 fungi/yeasts were identified as linked to a 3.5-fold increased risk
In the new research 122 000 cohort participants provided mouth bacteria samples, 445 developed pancreatic cancer over a median follow-up of 8.8 years. These were matched with 445 controls. Of the 890 participants, 474 (53.3%) were male, at an average age of 67.2 years.
The study (1) came from NYU Langone Health and its Perlmutter Cancer Center.
Three oral bacterial periodontal pathogens—P gingivalis, E nodatum, and P micra—were associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
A bacteriome-wide scan revealed 8 oral bacteria associated with decreased and 13 oral bacteria associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer. "Good" bacteria, such as Veillonella and Neisseria are both associated with a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer.
Of the fungi, Candida was associated with increased risk of pancreatic cancer.
Another study previously available on this website showed that fungii, epecially Malassezia, were associated with increased risk of Pancreatic cancer.
Overall for the 2025 study, the increased risk, based on 27 oral species, was almost a 3.5 fold increase (3.44 to be precise).
People concerned about Pancreatic cancer could have read on CANCERactive's website back in 2016 that oral issues were a possible cause for Pancreatic cancer.
Periodontal disease, or gum disease, and the pathogens involved have been linked to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Researchers showed then that men and women whose oral microbiomes included Porphyromonas gingivalis had a 59 per cent greater risk of developing pancreatic cancer than those whose microbiomes did not contain the bacterium.
Similarly, oral microbiomes containing Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans were at least 50 percent more likely overall to develop the disease.
Both types of bacteria have been tied in the past to periodontitis and inflammation of the gums.
That research was also conducted by NYU Langone Medical Center; New York University School of Medicine.
Chris Woollams, former Oxford University Biochemist and a founder of CANCERactive said, "At CANCERactive we have already seen patients with pancreatic cancer being sent by their oncologists to the dentist to treat their periodontal disease or gum disease. Bad breath and receding gums can be a strong indicator of pathogens in the mouth. We have now seen research showing a greater risk of liver cancer, pancreatic cancer, throat and even breast cancer in people with gum disease. A further study from the same researchers linked pancreatic cancer to a rush of bacteria from the gut. Suddenly there was a thousand-fold increase in the number of bacteria moving from the gut to the pancreas - and of course this would include these oral pathogens.
One estimate suggested almost half the population has gum disease nowadays. It used to be thought of as just a local disease leading to receding gums, tooth or even bone loss. But now it looks like the consequences could be far worse. Pancreatic cancer cases are growing at 4 to 5% a year. It is a modern plague. And it has a very poor prognosis, We have always tried to kill off the yeasts and the pathogens and rebuild a healthy microbiome with this cancer."
Go to: Pancreatic cancer overview - symptoms, cause and alternative treatments
References
1. Oral Bacterial and Fungal Microbiome and Subsequent Risk for Pancreatic Cancer; Yixuan Meng, Feng Wu, Soyoung Kwak et al; JAMA Oncol. 2025; 11(11):1331-1340.