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Characterization of tumor microbiome and associations with prognosis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma

  • Original Article―Liver, Pancreas, and Biliary Tract
  • Published:
Journal of Gastroenterology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Background

The tumor microbiome has been characterized in several malignancies; however, no previous studies have investigated its role in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC). Hence, we explored the tumor microbiome and its association with prognosis in ICC.

Methods

One hundred and twenty-one ICC tumor samples and 89 adjacent normal tissues were profiled by 16S rRNA sequencing. Microbial differences between tumor and adjacent nontumoral liver tissues were assessed. Tumor microbial composition was then evaluated to detect its association with prognosis. Finally, a risk score calculated by the tumor microbiota was accessed by the least absolute shrinkage and selector operator method (Lasso) to predict prognosis of ICC.

Results

The tumor microbiome displayed a greater diversity than that in adjacent nontumoral liver tissues. Tumor samples were characterized by a higher abundance of Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and Acidobacteriota. Higher tumor microbial α diversity was associated with lymph node metastasis and predicted shortened overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS). A total of 11 bacteria were selected to generate the risk score by Lasso. This score showed potential in predicting OS, and was an independent risk factor for OS.

Conclusion

In conclusion, our study characterized the tumor microbiome and revealed its role in predicting prognosis in ICC.

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Acknowledgements

This work was jointly supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 82173260, No. 81972708, No. 82072681, No. 82003082, No. 81773069, No. 81830102, No. 81772578) and the National Key R&D Program of China (No. 2019YFC1315800, 2019YFC1315802, 2018YFA0109400).

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Author notes

  1. Hao-Yang Xin, Ji-Xue Zou, Rong-Qi Sun and Zhi-Qiang Hu have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Liver Surgery and Transplantation, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 136 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China

    Hao-Yang Xin, Rong-Qi Sun, Zhi-Qiang Hu, Zhuo Chen, Chu-Bin Luo, Peng-Cheng Wang, Jia Li, Song-Yang Yu, Kai-Xuan Liu, Jia Fan, Jian Zhou & Shao-Lai Zhou

  2. Liver Cancer Institute, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, 136 Yi Xue Yuan Road, Shanghai, 200032, China

    Ji-Xue Zou, Zheng-Jun Zhou, Jia Fan, Jian Zhou & Shao-Lai Zhou

  3. State Key Laboratory of Genetic Engineering, Fudan University, Shanghai, China

    Jia Fan & Jian Zhou

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  1. Hao-Yang Xin
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shao-Lai Zhou.

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Conflict of interest

Hao-Yang Xin, Ji-Xue Zou, Rong-Qi Sun, Zhi-Qiang Hu, Zhuo Chen, Chu-Bin Luo, Zheng-Jun Zhou, Peng-Cheng Wang, Jia Li, Song-Yang Yu, Kai-Xuan Liu, Jia Fan, Jian Zhou and Shao-Lai Zhou declare that they have no potential conflicts of interest. The study was approved by the research ethics committee of Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, and written informed consent was obtained from all patients.

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Xin, HY., Zou, JX., Sun, RQ. et al. Characterization of tumor microbiome and associations with prognosis in intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma. J Gastroenterol 59, 411–423 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-024-02090-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00535-024-02090-2

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