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. 2024 Nov;13(22):e70431.
doi: 10.1002/cam4.70431.

Fusobacterium nucleatum Abundance is Associated with Cachexia in Colorectal Cancer Patients: The ColoCare Study

Mmadili N Ilozumba  1   2 , Tengda Lin  1   2 , Sheetal Hardikar  1   2 , Doratha A Byrd  3 , June L Round  1   4 , W Zac Stephens  1   4 , Andreana N Holowatyj  1   2   5 , Christy A Warby  1   2 , Victoria Damerell  6 , Christopher I Li  7 , Jane C Figueiredo  8 , Adetunji T Toriola  9 , David Shibata  10 , Gary C Fillmore  1 , Bartley Pickron  1 , Erin M Siegel  3 , Christoph Kahlert  6 , Vaia Florou  1 , Biljana Gigic  6 , Jennifer Ose  1   2   11 , Cornelia M Ulrich  1   2
Affiliations

Fusobacterium nucleatum Abundance is Associated with Cachexia in Colorectal Cancer Patients: The ColoCare Study

Mmadili N Ilozumba et al. Cancer Med. 2024 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Cachexia accounts for about 20% of all cancer-related deaths and indicates poor prognosis. The impact of Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn), a microbial risk factor for colorectal cancer (CRC), on the development of cachexia in CRC has not been established.

Methods: We evaluated the association between Fn abundance in pre-surgical stool samples and onset of cachexia at 6 months post-surgery in n = 87 patients with stages I-III CRC in the ColoCare Study.

Results: High fecal Fn abundance compared to negative/low fecal Fn abundance was associated with 4-fold increased risk of cachexia onset at 6 months post-surgery (OR = 4.82, 95% CI = 1.15, 20.10, p = 0.03).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that high fecal Fn abundance was associated with an increased risk of cachexia at 6 months post-surgery in CRC patients. This is the first study to link Fn abundance with cachexia in CRC patients, offering novel insights into biological mechanisms and potential management of cancer cachexia. Due to the small sample size, our results should be interpreted with caution. Future studies with larger sample sizes are needed to validate these findings.

Keywords: Fusobacterium nucleatum; cachexia; colorectal cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

C.M.U. has as cancer center director oversight over research funded by several pharmaceutical companies, but has not received funding directly herself. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Putative mechanisms linking Fusobacterium nucleatum (Fn) to cancer cachexia.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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