Women who have a mutation in their BRCA1 gene 鈥� and are therefore at high risk for ovarian cancer 鈥� have been found to have lower levels of a type of vaginal bacteria, similar to the levels seen in women who have been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. Within both groups, reductions in these bacteria were most apparent in younger women.
鈥淚t鈥檚 the first time that we have been able to demonstrate that women with gene mutations have a change in their vaginal microbiome,鈥� said Martin Widschwendter at University College London in a statement.
He and his colleagues studied samples taken from the cervix and vagina of 580 women from Germany, Italy, the Czech Republic, Norway and the UK. They were all aged 18 to 87 and fell into three groups: those who were diagnosed with ovarian cancer, those who had inherited the BRCA1 gene mutation and were at high risk of developing the disease over their lifetime, and women without the mutation or cancer.
Advertisement
Of the women with ovarian cancer, 60 per cent had less than half of their vaginal microbiome populated by Lactobacillus 鈥� a group of bacteria that usefully lower pH levels and help control lactic acid production 鈥� while the low risk women had a vaginal microbiome dominated by this helpful bacteria.
Compared to these women, young women with the BRCA1 mutation had nearly three times less Lactobacilli. Over 25 per cent of women under 30 with the mutation had low Lactobacilli numbers, while similarly aged women without the mutation showed no reduction in this bacteria.
Though these findings suggest a link between vaginal bacteria and ovarian cancer risk, we don鈥檛 know yet how they interact.
If further research suggests that聽尝补肠迟辞产补肠颈濒濒颈听really can protect against ovarian cancer, it may be possible to develop ways to alter women鈥檚 vaginal microbiomes to lower their cancer risk.
The Lancet
