Two studies, one made in Israel et the second in the United States, present an unusual phenomenon: fungi can grow in cancers. These are not ceps or boletes that stand in the forest, but mushrooms invisible to the naked eye. The presence of these microscopic mushrooms has important effects on cancer treatment and patient survival.
fungi in cancer
Researchers at the Weizman Institute in Israel analyzed tumor samples taken from more than 17,000 patients and stored at the institute. The scientists found the DNA of fungi in the 35 types of cancer analyzed, including the most common such as lung cancer, breast cancer or melanoma. Most of the time, these fungi have penetrated cancer cells and been observed inside their cytoplasm — others have also been detected in immune cells created by the body to fight off malignant cells.
The mushroom: neither animal nor vegetable!
Curiously, each cancer has its own mycobiota. For example, colon cancer will tend to be colonized by Mushroom so-called ascomycetes — the best-known microscopic representative being S. cerevisiae, baker’s yeast — whereas a melanoma will be 50% colonized by ascomycetes and 50% by basidiomycetes. The American study focused on gastrointestinal cancers and showed that, in this case, yeasts of the genus Candida that are present inside cancer cells.
A presence to take into account
The two studies underline an interesting point, the presence of these fungi influences the treatments prescribed to patients to cure their cancer, especially if it is a immunotherapy. In the case of gastrointestinal cancers, scientists have established a…
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