Looking for fungi in the human body could offer a whole new way to detect cancer early, Israeli scientists suggest in a new peer-reviewed study.
Working with US colleagues, they studied the tumors of 17,000 cancer patients and documented for the first time which fungi live in the tissues.
Previous research on fungi in tumors has been very limited, and scientists assumed their occurrence was rare. .
Her team has created a breakthrough ‘atlas’ specifically for this topic, which she says can be used to create new screening methods.
Because fungal DNA can be detected in blood, scientists hope that one day doctors will be able to detect cancer using blood analysis.
“Atlas” outlines which fungi characterize 35 types of tumors, so tests like this could not only show the presence of cancer, but where it can be found in the body. .
“This could provide a new tool for diagnosing cancer using a simple blood test that detects fungi within tumors,” Livyatan told The Times of Israel.
“And beyond diagnostics, this has the potential to greatly shake up oncology research. As fungi now represent an entirely new consideration in the analysis of tumors, this will force us to reconsider our assumptions about cancer.” It’s one of those eye-popping moments that make you do,” she explained.
This magnified image from researchers at the Weizmann Institute of Science shows the fungus in pink inside a cell of a human ovarian tumor, with its cell nucleus in blue.Courtesy of Deborah Nejman and Nancy Gavert.
peer-reviewed research, Just published in Cell magazine, It was a collaboration between the Weizmann Institute of Science and the University of California San Diego School of Medicine. Tel Aviv University and Sheva Medical Center also contributed to the research.
In recent years, scientists have begun to pay more attention to the fact that tumors are home to large populations of microorganisms. by the Weizmann team – Regarding bacterial patterns within tumors, this study firmly places the presence of fungi on the research agenda.
Not only does the Weizmann-California team open up potential new avenues for cancer detection, their findings also provide a wealth of information that studying a patient’s fungi can shape prognosis and treatment planning. It is said to suggest that
They found many correlations between fungi and survival probabilities. For one, if breast cancer patients’ tumors had a specific fungus (Malassezia globosa, which is found naturally on the skin), this actually correlated with an increased chance of survival.
They also identified specific fungi among melanoma patients. It is more common among people who respond well to immunotherapy than those who do not.
The Weizmann Institute of Science’s newest research team (left to right): Dr. Deborah Neiman, Dr. Nancy Gabert, Dr. Ilana Liviathan, Dr. Rian Narunski-Haziza, Prof. Ravid Straussmann (Courtesy of the Weizmann Institute of Science)
Weizmann’s Yitzhak Pilpel hopes that in the next few years, scientists will elaborate on the relationship between fungi and cancer and explore how the findings can be used to influence treatment. “This study sheds new light on the complex biological environment within tumors, and future work will shed light on how fungi influence cancer growth,” he said. Stated.
His colleague Professor Ravid Straussman points out that the new research suggests that fungal activity is “a hallmark of emerging cancers”, commenting: . We know about cancer through a “microbiome lens”. “
