Breast cancer: the first comparative evaluation of oncobiome composition between males and females

Abstract

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that breast microbiota dysbiosis contributes to cancer initiation, progression, prognosis and treatment efficacy. Anyway, available data are referred only to female patients, and studies on males are completely missing. Male breast cancer (MBC) is 70–100 times less frequent, but the mortality rate adjusted to incidence is higher in men than in females. Currently, MBC diagnostic approaches and treatments have generally been extrapolated from the clinical experience gained in women, while few studies focus on characterizing male cancer biology. Taking into account the rising importance of the oncobiome field and the need of MBC targeted studies, we explored the breast cancer oncobiome of male and female patients. Methods: 16S rRNA gene sequencing was performed in 20 tumor and 20 non-pathological adjacent FFPE breast tissues from male and female patients. Results: We documented, for the first time, the presence of a sexually dimorphic breast-associated microbiota, here defined as “breast microgenderome”. Moreover, the paired analysis of tumor and non-pathological adjacent tissues suggests the presence of a cancer-associated dysbiosis in male patients, with surrounding tissue conserving a healthier microbiome, whereas in female patients, the entire breast tissue is predisposed to cancer development. Finally, the phylum Tenericutes, especially the genera Mesoplasma and Mycobacterium, could to be involved in breast carcinogenesis, in both sexes, deserving further investigation, not only for its role in cancer development but even as potential prognostic biomarker. Conclusions: Breast microbiota characterization can enhance the understanding of male breast cancer pathogenesis, being useful for detection of new prognostic biomarkers and development of innovative personalized therapies, remarking the relevant gender differences.