Characteristics and Correlation Analysis of Changes in Intestinal and Tongue Flora in Patients with Recurrent Primary Liver Cancer after Resection

MEI Rong; JIANG Cheng; XIE Weiting

doi:10.3639/i.issn.2095-3097.2024.10.028

Abstract：Objective To explore the characteristics and correlation of changes in intestinal and tongue flora in patients with recurrent primary liver cancer(PLC)after resection.Methods Clinical data of 91 PLC patients treated at Haian People's Hospital from January 2019 to February 2022 were retrospectively analyzed.All patients underwent hepatectomy.Based on the recurrence status,they were divided into a recurrence group(20 cases)and a non-recurrence group(71 cases).The changes in intestinal and tongue flora were compared between the two groups.Logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between intestinal and tongue flora and recurrence factors after PLC resection.The predictive efficacy of individual or combined flora indicators for recurrence was assessed using receiver operating characteristic(ROC)curve analysis.Results At 3 months after surgery,the recurrence group showed significantly lower levels of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium,but higher levels of Enterococcus and Escherichia coli compared to the non-recurrence group(P＜0.05).The abundances of Prevotella and Ruminalis were also significantly higher in the recurrence group(P＜0.05).Logistic regression analysis showed that Enterococcus,Escherichia coli,Prevotella,and Ruminalis were risk factors for recurrence after hepatectomy,whereas Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus were protective factors(P＜0.05).ROC curve analysis revealed that the areas under the curve(AUCs)for predicting recurrence using Bifidobacterium,Lactobacillus,Enterococcus,Escherichia coli,Prevotella,Ruminalis,and their combined indicators were 0.810,0.891,0.805,0.880,0.906,0.833,and 0.957,respectively.Conclusion Abnormal changes in intestinal and tongue flora may be associated with recurrence in PLC patients after hepatectomy.Early monitoring of these changes can aid in predicting the risk of recurrence.