Common bacteria could 'melt' and destroy cancer with up to 99 per cent success, research finds

By Xantha Leatham Deputy Science Editor

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A bacteria commonly found in the mouth appears to 'melt' away and destroy certain cancers, scientists have discovered.

Researchers were 'surprised' that patients with head and neck cancer who had Fusobacterium within their tumours had 'much better outcomes'.

The exact biological mechanisms behind the link are being further investigated by specialists. 

In laboratory studies, the team at Guy's and St Thomas', King's College London, put quantities of the bacteria in Petri dishes with cancer cells and left them for a couple of days.

They found there was a 70 to 99 per cent reduction in the number of viable head and neck cancer cells after being infected with Fusobacterium. 

A bacteria commonly found in the mouth appears to 'melt' away and destroy certain cancers, according to new research

A bacteria commonly found in the mouth appears to 'melt' away and destroy certain cancers, according to new research

Researchers were 'surprised' that patients with head and neck cancer who had Fusobacterium (seen) within their tumours had 'much better outcomes'

Researchers were 'surprised' that patients with head and neck cancer who had Fusobacterium (seen) within their tumours had 'much better outcomes'

Pictured: Dr Anjali Chander and Dr Miguel Reis Ferreira, whose study made the 'remarkable and very surprising' discovery

Pictured: Dr Anjali Chander and Dr Miguel Reis Ferreira, whose study made the 'remarkable and very surprising' discovery

Further analysis of 155 patients with head and neck cancer showed those with the bacteria within their tumours had better survival odds compared to those who did not, with a 65 per cent reduction in risk of death.

...as toothpaste labels warn of disease 

New labels on toothpaste and mouthwash will encourage users to contact their GP if they notice signs of mouth cancer.

The partnership will see the NHS logo and a description of symptoms added to millions of tubes and bottles of Asda own-brand products.

Figures from the Mouth Cancer Foundation show it is the eighth most common cancer in the UK, with 11,700 new cases diagnosed annually.

The disease is twice as common in men as in women, and nearly eight in ten cases occur in those over the age of 55. Symptoms include an ulcer, lump or swelling in the mouth, jaw or neck that lasts for more than three weeks, and difficulty swallowing, chewing, or moving the jaw or tongue. Numbness, a chronic sore throat or hoarseness and unexplained loosening of teeth can also be possible signs of cancer.

NHS England said the partnership with Asda, who sell 2million of the products a year, will be 'vital in supporting the NHS's ambition to diagnose more cancers at an earlier stage'.

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Researchers hope the findings could help guide treatment for patients with head and neck cancer – which include cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box, nose and sinuses. 

Experts said there have been few therapeutic advances in this field in the past 20 years, and it is hoped the finding could potentially lead to new treatments in the future.

'In essence, we found that when you find these bacteria within head and neck cancers, they have much better outcomes,' said senior author Dr Miguel Reis Ferreira. 

'The other thing we found is that, in cell cultures, this bacterium is capable of killing cancer.

'This research reveals that these bacteria play a more complex role than previously known in their relationship with cancer – that they essentially melt head and neck cancer cells. 

'What it could mean is that we can use these bacteria to better predict which patients are more likely to have good or worse outcomes.'

He added: 'Based on that, we could change their treatment so make it kinder in the patients that have better outcomes, or make it more intense in patients that are more likely to have their cancers come back.'

Dr Anjali Chander, senior clinical research fellow at King's College London and lead author, added: 'Our findings are remarkable and very surprising.'

The team have published a paper on their finding in the journal Cancer Communications, which describes how Fusobacterium is 'toxic' for head and neck cancer and how its presence 'may determine a better prognosis'.

'Fusobacterium detectability was associated with both better overall survival and better disease-specific survival,' the authors wrote.