The Bacteria That Help Cancer: How P. micra Speeds Up Colorectal Cancer

Ever heard of a tiny bacteria that can change how your body handles cancer? Meet Parvimonas micra (Pm), a germ that usually hangs out in your mouth. Scientists have found that Pm can mess with the immune system in a way that helps colorectal cancer (CRC) grow faster. Pm works by changing special immune cells in your body called macrophages. These macrophages are like security guards for your immune system. Pm makes them behave in a way that helps cancer cells grow, become stronger against drugs, and move around more easily. This happens because Pm causes these macrophages to produce a chemical called interleukin-8. Researchers compared this to giving cancer cells a secret weapon. In tests, they saw that when macrophages were exposed to Pm, cancer cells multiplied quicker, became harder to kill with medicine, and moved around a lot more. They even found this happening in mice with CRC when they introduced Pm. Understanding how Pm affects these immune cells could be a big deal. It might help doctors find new ways to stop CRC from growing so fast. Futuristic treatments could target the pathways that Pm uses to trick our immune system.