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Microbiota composition in bilateral healthy breast tissue and breast tumors

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Abstract

Purpose

Previous reports suggest that a complex microbiome exists within the female human breast that might contribute to breast cancer etiology. The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the variation in microbiota composition by breast side (left versus right) within individual women and compare the microbiota of normal and breast tumor tissue between women. We aimed to determine whether microbiota composition differs between these groups and whether certain bacterial taxa may be associated with breast tumors.

Methods

Bilateral normal breast tissue samples (n = 36) were collected from ten women who received routine mammoplasty procedures. Archived breast tumor samples (n = 10) were obtained from a biorepository. DNA was extracted, amplified, and sequenced. Microbiota data were analyzed using QIIME and RStudio.

Results

The most abundant phyla in both tumor and normal tissues were Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Proteobacteria, and Actinobacteria. There were statistically significant differences in the relative abundance of various bacterial taxa between groups. Alpha diversity (Simpson’s index) was significantly higher in normal compared to tumor samples (0.968 vs. 0.957, p = 0.022). Based on unweighted UniFrac measures, breast tumor samples clustered distinctly from normal samples (R2 = 0.130; p = 0.01). Microbiota composition in normal samples clustered within women (R2 = 0.394; p = 0.01) and by breast side (left or right) within a woman (R2 = 0.189; p = 0.03).

Conclusion

Significant differences in diversity between tumor and normal tissue and in composition between women and between breasts of the same woman were identified. These results warrant further research to investigate the relationship between microbiota and breast cancer.

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Funding

The study was funded by the University of Florida Health Cancer Center and National Science Foundation.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Emily Klann and Jessica M. Williamson have contributed equally as first authors.

  2. Lusine Yaghjyan and Volker Mai share senior authorship.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology, College of Public Health and Health Professions and College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA

    Emily Klann, Jessica M. Williamson, Lusine Yaghjyan & Volker Mai

  2. Emerging Pathogens Institute, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA

    Emily Klann, Massimiliano S. Tagliamonte, Maria Ukhanova & Volker Mai

  3. Department of Pathology, Immunology and Laboratory Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA

    Massimiliano S. Tagliamonte & Jaya Ruth Asirvatham

  4. Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Florida, Gainesville, USA

    Harvey Chim

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  1. Emily Klann
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Correspondence to Volker Mai.

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This study was reviewed and approved as exempt by the UF Institutional Review Board (IRB) (Protocol Number IRB201600709).

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Klann, E., Williamson, J.M., Tagliamonte, M.S. et al. Microbiota composition in bilateral healthy breast tissue and breast tumors. Cancer Causes Control 31, 1027–1038 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-020-01338-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10552-020-01338-5

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