Yeo, K.Li, R.Wu, F.Bouras, G.Mai, L.T.H.Smith, E.Wormald, P.-J.Valentine, R.Psaltis, A.J.Vreugde, S.Fenix, K.2024-02-152024-02-152024Journal of Medical Microbiology, 2024; 73(2):001799-1-001799-180022-26151473-5644https://hdl.handle.net/2440/140423Published 01 February 2024Introduction. Multiple reports have attempted to describe the tumour microbiota in head and neck cancer (HNSC).Gap statement. However, these have failed to produce a consistent microbiota signature, which may undermine understanding the importance of bacterial-mediated effects in HNSC.Aim. The aim of this study is to consolidate these datasets and identify a consensus microbiota signature in HNSC.Methodology. We analysed 12 published HNSC 16S rRNA microbial datasets collected from cancer, cancer-adjacent and non-cancer tissues to generate a consensus microbiota signature. These signatures were then validated using The Cancer Microbiome Atlas (TCMA) database and correlated with the tumour microenvironment phenotypes and patient's clinical outcome.Results. We identified a consensus microbial signature at the genus level to differentiate between HNSC sample types, with cancer and cancer-adjacent tissues sharing more similarity than non-cancer tissues. Univariate analysis on 16S rRNA datasets identified significant differences in the abundance of 34 bacterial genera among the tissue types. Paired cancer and cancer-adjacent tissue analyses in 16S rRNA and TCMA datasets identified increased abundance in Fusobacterium in cancer tissues and decreased abundance of Atopobium, Rothia and Actinomyces in cancer-adjacent tissues. Furthermore, these bacteria were associated with different tumour microenvironment phenotypes. Notably, high Fusobacterium signature was associated with high neutrophil (r=0.37, P<0.0001), angiogenesis (r=0.38, P<0.0001) and granulocyte signatures (r=0.38, P<0.0001) and better overall patient survival [continuous: HR 0.8482, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.7758-0.9273, P=0.0003].Conclusion. Our meta-analysis demonstrates a consensus microbiota signature for HNSC, highlighting its potential importance in this disease.en2024 The Authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. This article was made open access via a Publish and Read agreement between the Microbiology Society and the corresponding author’s institution.tumour microbiota; head and neck cancer; 16S rRNA sequencing; meta-analysisHumansRNA, Ribosomal, 16SConsensusHead and Neck NeoplasmsMicrobiotaBacteriaTumor MicroenvironmentJournal article10.1099/jmm.0.0017992024-02-06683476Yeo, K. [0000-0001-5733-0463]Li, R. [0000-0001-5577-049X]Bouras, G. [0000-0002-5885-4186]Smith, E. [0000-0003-2958-3492]Wormald, P.-J. [0000-0001-7753-7277]Psaltis, A.J. [0000-0003-2197-0797] [0000-0003-2967-1855]Vreugde, S. [0000-0003-4719-9785]Fenix, K. [0000-0003-1619-1406]