A common dandruff-causing skin fungus could be fuelling breast cancer, in the latest discovery linking a microscopic organism to types of the disease.
Chinese scientists found Malassezia globosa, a species of yeast-like fungi, could be infiltrating fat rich breast tissue and from there increase the risk of developing tumours.
Medics said how the fungus might be doing this remains unclear.
However, they theorised it could be due to a harmful byproduct damaging cells or destroying the body’s innate defence against cancerous tissue.
In tests on mice, breast cancer tissue experts injected Malassezia globosa into the tumours to observe the effects.
Chinese scientists found Malassezia globosa, a species of yeast-like fungi, could be infiltrating fat rich breast tissue and from there increase the risk of developing the disease. Stock image
They found those colonised with the fungus had a higher growth rate, though did not detail exactly how much faster or larger they grew.
Study author Professor Qi-Ming Wang, an expert of life sciences at Hebei University, said the findings had implications for people’s health.
‘It is important to take care of skin not only for beauty, but also for health,’ he said.
He added this is not the first time a microscopic organism has been linked to cancer, and that this are of research needed more studies.
‘Although still controversial, the relationship between microbes and cancer is gaining attention,’ he said.
‘The imbalance of the microflora in the tumour may lead to disorder in the tumour microenvironment.’
While Malassezia globosa can cause issues like dandruff in the scalp and dermatitis, swelling an irritation of the skin, in other areas, Professor Wang said how exactly it might reach breast tissue to increase the risk of breast cancer is unclear.
The results were published in the journal mBio.
Other studies have previously suggested links between some microorganisms to an increased risk of certain cancers.
One of these is Fusobacterium nucleatum, a bacteria that lives in dental plaque, which could explain why some colon tumours are so hard to treat.
American researchers found that a specific subtype of the bacteria was present in tumour tissue in about 50 per cent of the cancer cases.
They also found this microbe in higher numbers within stool samples of colorectal cancer patients compared with stool samples from healthy people.
Another bacteria called Streptococcus anginosus, has also been linked to stomach cancers.
Chinese and Singaporean scientists showed that the bacteria, normally found in the throat, mouth, and vagina, can encourage the growth of stomach cancers.
Breast cancer is the UK’s most common cancer with almost 56,000 cases diagnosed per year
In similar experiments to the new study, they found when mice had their immune system weakened, mimicking an infection or illness, Streptococcus anginosus could colonise new areas of the body, like the stomach.
When introduced this way it provoked an inflammatory response that could trigger cancer growth.
Another type of bacteria, Helicobacter pylori, has also been known to cause stomach ulcers, which increase a person’s risk of developing gastric cancer, the fifth most common type in the world.
Perhaps the most famous microscopic organism linked to cancer is human papillomavirus (HPV).
HPV are common viruses spread by sexual activity that usually don’t cause any symptoms, but some are linked to increased risk of cancers such as vulval and cervical forms of the disease.
This is partly why people in the UK are now offered an HPV vaccine in secondary school.
