Periodontitis and progression of gastrointestinal cancer: current knowledge and future perspective.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review without systematic search or meta-analytic methodology
PubMed 37036595 · doi:10.1007/s12094-023-03162-0
What was done
The authors reviewed published literature to summarize current knowledge regarding the relationship between periodontitis and gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies, focusing on the oral-gut axis and the potential translocation of oral pathobionts (such as Porphyromonas gingivalis and Fusobacterium nucleatum) from the oral cavity to the GI tract.
What was found
The abstract provides no quantitative data, sample numbers, or risk estimates. It qualitatively reports that periodontal pathobionts (P. gingivalis and F. nucleatum) are abundant in the intestinal mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer, indicating that periodontal infections extend beyond local oral inflammation.
Why it matters
Understanding how oral dysbiosis and microbial migration along the oral-gut axis influence intestinal pathology may provide insights into the pathogenesis and progression of colorectal and other gastrointestinal cancers.
Limits
The abstract describes a narrative review without systematic search criteria or meta-analytic pooling. No numerical data or sample sizes are reported, and the narrative synthesis cannot establish whether oral pathobionts play a causal role in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis or act as secondary colonizers.
Cited by
- supports Porphyromonas gingivalis infection is associated with inflammatory bowel disease and certain types of cancer.