Characteristics of tongue images and tongue coating bacteria in patients with colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND

Tongue diagnosis can assess the physiological functions and pathological conditions of colorectal cancer (CRC).

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the characteristics of tongue images and the bacteria composition of tongue coating in patients with CRC.

METHODS

A total of 59 CRC patients were enrolled and underwent tongue image analysis using a diagnostic instrument. Third-generation sequencing technique was used to determine tongue coating bacteria. The relationships among tongue images, tongue coating bacteria and clinical information (age, gender, and location) were further analyzed. Statistical analyses were performed to investigate the potential associations between tongue coating microbiota and two key variables (tongue images and age).

RESULTS

CRC patients typically present with four distinct tongue images, including yellow greasy coating, petechiae, white greasy coating, and red tongue with little coating. Notably, the microbiota composition of tongue coatings demonstrates a statistically significant correlation with both tongue diagnostic features and patient age compared to other clinical parameters. Alloprevotella rava may be primary contributors to the formation of yellow greasy coating, while Prevotella intermedia appears to be associated with the development of white greasy coating. Furthermore, Streptococcus parasanguinis might emerged as a potential biomarker for CRC patients under 62 years of age, whereas Prevotella sp. 000163055 appears to be a predominant species in the tongue coating microbiota of CRC patients over 62 years.

CONCLUSION

Overall, this study emphasizes the variations in the community structure and diversity of tongue coating bacteria in CRC patients through different tongue images. The findings provide novel insights that could enhance the predictive capacity of tongue diagnosis for clinical progression monitoring and contribute to the development of early intervention strategies in CRC management.