A new bacterial species isolated from a human tumor

What is it about?

Bacteria cause stomach cancer and are believed to cause colon cancer, but determining which bacterial species are responsible is challenging. Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) is a rare form of cancer that spreads from the appendix to the abdominal cavity. Certain species of bacteria are found in all PMP tumors examined to date, and a few species have been cultured from tumor samples. One of these, referred to as PMP191F, is a new species never before seen in humans. We are currently conducting experiments to determine whether this species contributes to cancer development or growth.

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Why is it important?

One form of cancer, gastric MALT lymphoma, can usually be treated with antibiotics instead of chemotherapy or surgery. It is possible that other forms of cancer may also be treated or prevented by antibiotics. A preliminary clinical trial testing the effect of treating PMP patients with antibiotic treatment in addition to surgery yielded promising results and a larger trial is ongoing.