Stool testing could be a useful way to help doctors detect early-stage pancreatic cancer, researchers say.
They tested the concept in a study with 136 volunteers.
The findings, described in the journal Gut, suggest that detectable changes involving gut bugs could be a warning sign that a tumor is present.
Pancreatic cancer often causes no symptoms in the early stages. That means that when found, it’s usually more advanced and difficult to treat.
As the cancer grows, it can cause vague symptoms such as indigestion, changes in bowel habits, and abdominal or back pain. Some people visit their family doctor several times before being diagnosed.
- Know the signs of pancreatic cancer
Currently, fewer than 1 in 20 patients with the most common form – ductal adenocarcinoma – survive five years or more. Earlier detection could improve these chances.
The Spanish team behind the work recruited patients from two hospitals – one in Madrid and the other in Barcelona. Only part of the patients had pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, while the others were selected as controls for comparison.
The researchers collected and analyzed saliva and stool samples from the volunteers to determine if there was a discernible difference between the groups.
While the saliva samples were blank, the stool samples showed a difference that the team believes could be useful in diagnosing pancreatic cancer.
It was a specific pattern or genomic profile of gut bacteria, fungi and other microbes.
This consistently identified patients with the disease regardless of how advanced it was, suggesting that distinctive microbiome signatures emerge early and that the stool microbiome may be picking up the disease early, the researchers say.
They recommend further studies – and some are already taking place.
Independent researchers in Germany have validated the results on a small number of patients, and the test is also being tried in Japan.
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