Cancers : chronic infection of the gums associated with risk

rossandhelen/epictura

Published the 02.08.2017 at 16h38

A A

Keywords :

cancergenciveménopause

The chronic infection of the gums, a symptom to watch for in particular in postmenopausal women. According to a study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, post-menopausal women who suffer from periodontal disease have a surrisque 14% of developing cancer.

According to the authors of these works, the risk was highest for cancer of the esophagus, three times more frequent in this group. An association between the chronic infection of the gums and a surrisque of cancer of the lung, breast, gall bladder and melanoma has also been observed.

The oral bacteria in question ?

For the basis of this finding, the researchers used data from 65 000 women aged 54 to 86 years and followed between 1999 and 2013. A questionnaire has been transmitted for a period of eight years, on average.

Previous work had already suggested that people with periodontal disease were more likely to develop certain cancers. This latest study focuses more specifically on the chronic infection of the gums, and on the link with all the types of cancer within this population.

So far, researchers have not established an association, not a causal link. Other studies will be necessary to determine how periodontal disease can induce cancer, says the team.

One of the hypothesis put forward relates to bacteria located in dental plaque or saliva, and that could end up in the bloodstream. Thus, the higher risk of cancer of the esophagus can be explained by its proximity to the oral cavity.