Work

Paired biopsy-surface and tissue microbiome profiling reveals tissue-associated bacterial signatures in nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Introduction: Tumor-associated microbiota have been implicated in cancer biology, but the relationship between bacteria detected on the biopsy surface and those detected within tumor tissue remains poorly defined. Methods: In this study, we profiled paired biopsy-surface swabs and tissue biopsies from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) and benign nasopharyngeal lymphoid hyperplasia (NLH) controls using five-region 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Matched bulk RNA-seq data were analyzed to explore associations between microbial features, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) transcription, host pathway activity, and inferred immune-cell composition. Results: Tissue-associated microbial profiles showed stronger separation between NPC and NLH than biopsy-surface profiles in this discovery cohort. Several NPC-enriched species-level taxonomic assignments were associated with higher EBV transcript levels, proliferative and cell-cycle pathway activity, and lower inferred CD8 T-cell and plasmacytoid dendritic-cell signatures. Discussion: These findings indicate that NPC tissue contains microbial signatures that differ from biopsy-surface communities and support further validation of tissue-associated microbe-EBV-host relationships.

Source: Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2026.1892233

Authors: Nan Shi, Zongjian Huang, Xuesong Wang, Ying Xie, Anzhou Tang, Wei Xia

Institutions: Guangxi Medical University, First Affiliated Hospital of GuangXi Medical University, Tumor Hospital of Guangxi Medical University

Language: English

Topic: Head and Neck Cancer Studies

Subfield: Otorhinolaryngology

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,801