The Presence and Tissue Distribution of Fusobacterium nucleatum and Porphyromonas gingivalis in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma.

PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to investigate the presence of Fusobacterium nucleatum (FN) and Porphyromonas gingivalis (PG) in oral cancer samples, to possibly reveal their potential contribution to oral cancer.

METHODS

We examined a total of 48 histological specimens, of which 42 were squamous cell carcinomas, two verrucous carcinomas (VCs), and one adenocarcinoma (AC); two squamous cell papillomas and one verruca vulgaris (VV) served as controls. Samples were immunostained with specific antigens for FN and the enzyme Gingipain R1 representing PG, followed by visual assessment of staining intensity. The results were analyzed by cross tabulation to detect statistical significance between the groups.

RESULTS

FN and PG were commonly found simultaneously in tumor samples and more often in tumor and stroma compared to other tissues layers. In the epithelium, Gingipain was expressed more often than FN although often as co-occured. The alveolar ridge had the lowest number of immunonegative samples for FN and Gingipain. Gingipain often showed higher staining intensity. We did not find correlations with patient age, sex, or anatomical tumor localization.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest a possible role for FN and PG in the development and progression of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), supporting the hypothesis that periodontal pathogens may contribute to oral carcinogenesis. Co-occurence of FN and PG further points to potential bacterial interactions influencing tumor behavior. Further studies with larger cohorts are warranted to explore these associations. The findings support the potential role of periodontitis as a risk factor for oral cancer.