The Comparison of Fecal Microbiota in Left-Side and Right-Side Human Colorectal Cancer.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Microbiomes play a vital role in the development and progression of cancer. The clinical status, including prognosis, genetic mutations, and sensitivity to chemotherapy, differs depending on the location of colorectal cancer (CRC); however, the association between gut microbiota and the location of CRC is not entirely understood. This study was conducted to evaluate the differences in the gut microbiota in patients with CRC according to the location of the tumor. METHODS: Fifty-six patients who underwent surgery for CRC between August 2018 and November 2019 were included in the study. Three patients who had received neoadjuvant therapy or antibiotic treatment within 1 month before surgery were excluded. The metagenomes of microbiota in preoperative feces were assessed using the V3-V4 region of 16s rRNA amplicon sequences. RESULTS: The beta diversity of the Bray-Curtis distance was significantly higher in left-sided than in right-sided CRC. Fusobacterium predominated in left-sided CRC according to the linear discriminant analysis effect size method. Blautia, Eryspelotrichales, Holdemanella, Faecalibacterium, Subdoligranulum, and Dorea constituted the dominant intestinal flora in right-sided CRC. Pathway analysis revealed that L-lysine fermentation and cob(II)yrinate a,c-diamide biosynthesis I were predominant in left-sided CRC. DISCUSSION: This study demonstrated that fecal microbiota in left-sided CRC constitutionally and functionally differ from those in right-side CRC. These results will help to elucidate the biological differences according to tumor location and develop treatments for human CRC.