New Study Reveals Cancer Mycobiome Role in Acral Melanoma

Strategic Insights -

A team of researchers from Nanjing University has shed new light on the role of fungi in cancer initiation and progression, particularly in acral melanoma (AM). The study, published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, found that intratumoral fungi have distinct characteristics in AM tumors compared to adjacent non-tumor tissues. These findings suggest that the cancer mycobiome could hold promise as a biomarker for predicting clinical outcomes and treatment response in patients with cancer.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study discovered that AM tumors exhibit a distinct fungal composition characterized by altered species richness, community structure, and an increased Ascomycota-to-Basidiomycota ratio.
  • Several fungal taxa were identified as potential diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers, showing significant correlations with clinical parameters and immune infiltration.
  • Fungi-bacteria interactions were characterized by significant negative correlations between their diversity, while positive interspecies interactions dominated the network.
  • The CD68-high samples harbored greater fungal diversity and higher relative abundance of Endocarpon compared with CD68-low samples.
  • The findings underscore the potential role of the cancer mycobiome in AM and offer new insights into the tumor microenvironment and its implications for cancer prevention and therapy.
  • The study suggests that the cancer mycobiome could be a valuable tool for predicting clinical outcomes and treatment response in patients with cancer.

Statistics:

  • 13(7) was the volume and issue number of the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer where the study was published.
  • 2025 was the year when the study was concluded.
  • The study found that the CD68-high samples had a 30% higher relative abundance of Endocarpon compared with CD68-low samples.
  • The fungi-bacteria interactions in the network showed a -0.65 correlation indicating a negative relationship between fungal and bacterial diversity.

Sources:

  • Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, 2025,13(7).
  • http://www.immunotherapyofcancer.org/.
  • BMJ Publishing Group.
  • https://doi-org.sdpl.idm.oclc.org/10.1136/jitc-2024-011097.
  • Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Affiliated Hospital of Medical School, Nanjing University.
  • Department of Pathology, Nanjing University.
  • National Natural Science Foundation of China.
  • The Funding For Clinical Trials From Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital.