Examining the Impact of Cholecystectomy on Tumor Recurrence in Breast Cancer Patients.

Previous studies have found that bile acids influence the growth of breast cancer cells in vitro, suggesting that naturally occurring bile acids may also influence the growth of human breast cancer cells. Cholecystectomy alters modulation of bile acid metabolites, and therefore postcholecystectomy women could be at an increased risk of cancer development and recurrence. This study examined the breast cancer outcome in women who underwent cholecystectomy as compared to those with intact gallbladder. Ninety-three patients diagnosed with Stage I-III invasive mammary carcinoma in 2014 were retrospectively identified and patient demographics, treatment, and outcomes were collected and statistically analyzed. Results revealed 36% of patients who underwent cholecystectomy had recurrence compared to 25% recurrence in patients with intact gallbladders (p = .30). Forty-six percent of cholecystectomy patients were deceased, and 23% of those with intact gallbladder were deceased (p = .024). The effect of cholecystectomy on bile acid modulation and breast cancer recurrence requires further investigation.

Impact of gut permeability on the breast microbiome using a non-human primate model.

We previously demonstrated in non-human primates (NHP) that Mediterranean diet consumption shifted the proportional abundance of Lactobacillus in the breast and gut. This data highlights a potential link about gut-breast microbiome interconnectivity. To address this question, we compared bacterial populations identified in matched breast and faecal samples from our NHP study. Dietary pattern concurrently shifted two species in both regions; Streptococcus lutetiensis and Ruminococcus torques. While we observe similar trends in Lactobacillus abundances in the breast and gut, the species identified in each region vary; Mediterranean diet increased Lactobacillus_unspecified species in breast but regulated L. animalis and L. reuteri in the gut.We also investigated the impact of gut permeability on the breast microbiome. Regardless of dietary pattern, subjects that displayed increased physiological measures of gut permeability (elevated plasma lipopolysaccharide, decreased villi length, and decreased goblet cells) displayed a significantly different breast microbiome. Gut barrier dysfunction was associated with increased α-diversity and significant different ß-diversity in the breast tissue. Taken together our data supports the presence of a breast microbiome influenced by diet that largely varies from the gut microbiome population but is, however, sensitive to gut permeability.