<p>Oral microbiota may influence head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) development, potentially related to carcinogen metabolism. The human oral cavity hosts a diverse microbiota, including bacteria and fungi. We performed shotgun sequencing and ITS1 sequencing on 236 HNSCC case participants who developed HNSCC during a mean follow-up of 5.1 years and 458 matched controls who remained HNSCC-free. Oral samples were obtained from a prospective nested case-control study within three epidemiological cohorts: the <a href="https://www.cancer.org/research/population-science/cancer-prevention-and-survivorship-research-team/acs-cancer-prevention-studies/cancer-prevention-study-2.html">American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort </a>(ACS CPS-II), the <a href="https://prevention.cancer.gov/major-programs/prostate-lung-colorectal-and-ovarian-cancer-screening-trial-plco">Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trial </a>(PLCO), and the <a href="https://www.southerncommunitystudy.org/">Southern Community Cohort Study</a> (SCCS). Control participants were selected using 2:1 frequency matching based on cohort, age, sex, race and ethnicity, and time since oral sample collection.</p>

The Oral Microbiome and Head and Neck Cancer

Oral Microbiome and Subsequent Risk of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Cancer.