Oral microbiota analysis of tongue coating in patients with esophageal adenocarcinoma.

The incidence of esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) has been steadily rising in China, emphasizing the need for effective strategies in primary prevention and early detection. Emerging evidence suggests that tongue coating microbiota may play a significant role in gastrointestinal diseases. However, the alterations in tongue coating microbiota and associated metabolic pathways in Chinese EAC patients remain poorly understood. This case-control study analyzed tongue coating microbiota samples from 28 EAC patients and 28 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Microbiota composition and predicted metabolic functions were assessed using PICRUSt2. Alpha diversity was measured using the Shannon and Chao1 indices, and microbial taxa were compared between groups using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The Shannon index was significantly higher in the EAC group (P = .033), suggesting greater microbial diversity, while no significant difference was found in the Chao1 index (P = .50). The EAC group exhibited significant enrichment of Porphyromonas and Tannerella, while Rothia was significantly reduced. Predicted metabolic pathways, including pyrimidine metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and carbon metabolism, showed notable differences between the groups. This exploratory study highlights distinct alterations in tongue coating microbiota and metabolic functions in EAC patients, offering potential insights for the development of noninvasive diagnostic approaches for EAC.