A study led by a group led by T. Culpepper and presented at the 110th congress of the American Society for Microbiology (San Diego, California) in May 2010 suggests that certain types of bacteria present in the digestive tract increase the risk of colorectal cancer in patients with intestinal polyps and other precancerous conditions.

The researchers analyzed eating habits and medical history data, and studied intestinal microbial biocenosis and the results of biopsy studies in 30 patients with intestinal polyps and in 30 healthy people without polyps (control group), corresponding to patients with polyps by sex and age.

It turned out that certain types of bacteria were found in the intestines only in patients with polyps, while other species were found only in healthy individuals without intestinal polyposis. Eubacterium ramulus has been excreted with increased frequency in the stools of patients with polyps and bacteria of the Ruminococcus and Firmicutes type - in individuals without polyps. In biopsy material in patients with polyps, bacteria of the genus Acidovorax were more often found. In addition, other bacteria were detected which were excreted at different frequencies in patients with polyps and in individuals in the control group, but they could not be identified and attributed to the known types of microorganisms and described.

Colorectal cancer currently occupies second or third place in the structure of oncopathology in developed countries; moreover, in recent years the incidence of intestinal cancer has spread widely in all the economically developed countries of the world. According to the World Health Organization, more than 500,000 cases of colorectal cancer are registered each year worldwide. The highest incidence is observed in the United States, Canada, Western European countries and USA. It is known that more than 70 deaths per 100 new patients with colon and rectal cancer, of which about 40% are 1 year old from the time of diagnosis, due to the complexity of the early diagnosis of this condition and the lack of very effective treatment methods.

Thus, the results of a study of the characteristics of the microbial flora of the intestine in patients with precancerous pathologies can contribute to the development of non-invasive screening tests to assess the risk of colorectal cancer, as well as preventive methods based on modifying the diet and improving the microbial biocenosis of the large intestine in order to reduce the risk of developing this pathology.