The lack of vaginal bacteria related to ovarian cancer

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The lack of vaginal bacteria related to ovarian cancer

Women whose BRCA1 gene has been mutated - and therefore have a high risk of developing ovarian cancer - have been shown to have lower rates of a type of vaginal bacteria, similar to those observed in women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. In both groups, reductions in these bacteria were most apparent in younger women.

A disturbed microbiome related to ovarian cancer
"This is the first time we have been able to demonstrate that the vaginal microbiome of women with gene mutations produces this type of reaction," said Martin Widschwendter of University College London in a statement.

With his colleagues, he studied cervical and vaginal samples from 580 women in Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Norway and the United Kingdom. They were all aged 18 to 87 years and belonged to three groups: those diagnosed with ovarian cancer, those who inherited the BRCA1 gene mutation and were at high risk of developing the disease during their lifetime, and women without mutation or cancer.

60% of women with ovarian cancer had less than Lactobacillus
Among women with ovarian cancer, 60% had less than half of their vaginal microbiome populated with Lactobacillus - a group of bacteria that naturally lower the pH and help control lactic acid production - while low-risk women had a vaginal microbiome dominated by this bacteria.

Compared to these women, young women with the BRCA1 mutation had nearly three times less Lactobacillus. More than 25% of women under 30 years of age with this mutation had a lower number of Lactobacillu, while women of the same age without mutation had no reduction in this bacterium.

Although these results suggest a link between vaginal bacteria and ovarian cancer risk, we do not yet know how they interact.

Modify the vaginal microbiome to reduce the risk of having cancer
If further research suggests that Lactobacillus can actually protect women from ovarian cancer, then it would be possible to find ways to modify women's vaginal microbiome to reduce their risk of developing cancer.