| Summary: | Background. Intestinal microbiota dysbiosis may enhance the carcinogenicity of colon cancer (CC) by the proliferation and differentiation of epithelial cells. Oral <i>Fusobacterium nucleatum</i> (<i>Fn</i>) and <i>Porphyromonas gingivalis</i> (<i>Pg</i>) have the ability to invade the gut epithelium, promoting tumor progression. The aim of the study was to assess whether the abundance of these odontopathogenic bacteria was associated with colon cancer. We also investigated how lifestyle factors could influence the oral <i>Fn</i> and <i>Pg</i> abundance and CC. Methods. Thirty-six CC patients were included in the study to assess the <i>Pg</i> and <i>Fn</i> oral and colon tissue abundance by qPCR. Oral health data, food habits and lifestyles were also recorded. Results. Patients had a greater quantity of <i>Fn</i> in the oral cavity than matched CC and adjacent non-neoplastic mucosa (adj t) tissues (<i>p</i> = 0.004 and <i>p</i> < 0.001). Instead, <i>Pg</i> was not significantly detected in colonic tissues. There was an association between the <i>Fn</i> quantity in the oral and CC tissue and a statistically significant relation between the <i>Fn</i> abundance in adenocarcinoma (ADK) and staging (<i>p</i> = 0.016). The statistical analysis revealed a tendency towards a greater <i>Fn</i> quantity in CC (<i>p</i> = 0.073, η<sup>2</sup><i><sub>p</sub></i> = 0.12) for high-meat consumers. Conclusion. In our study, <i>Pg</i> was absent in colon tissues but was correlated with the oral inflammation gingival and plaque indices. For the first time, there was evidence that the <i>Fn</i> oral concentration can influence colon tissue concentrations and predict CC prognosis.
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