Characteristics and Clinical Implications of the Nasal Microbiota in Extranodal NK/T-Cell Lymphoma, Nasal Type

Abstract

Natural killer/T cell lymphoma (NKTCL) most frequently affects the nasal cavity and upper aerodigestive tract (UAT) and is often mistaken for reactive disease processes, such as chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS). Recently, alterations of the nasal resident microbiota have been found in CRS. However, nasal microbial features in NKTCL have never been reported. This case-control study collected 46 NKTCL patients, 25 CRS patients and 24 matched healthy controls (HCs) to analyze nasal microbial profiles via 16S rRNA sequencing technology to improve our understanding of changes in the nasal microbiota in NKTCL. We found that alpha diversity was significantly decreased, while beta diversity was significantly increased in NKTCL compared with those in CRS and HCs. The genus Corynebacterium was significantly depleted in CRS and NKTCL versus that in HCs, while genus Staphylococcus was the most abundant in the NKTCL compared to that in the other two groups. The nasal microbial community was significantly different between UAT-NKTCL and non-UAT NKTCL patients. Importantly, based on a panel of taxa, excellent classification power with an AUC of 0.875 between UAT-NKTCL and CRS was achieved. Furthermore, the alpha diversity of the nasal microbiota was associated with several clinical covariates of NKTCL. Finally, PICRUSt analysis implicated an array of distinct functions in NKTCL that might be involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. In conclusion, the nasal microbial profile was unique in NKTCL. The nose-microbiota-UAT NKTCL axis represents a panel of promising biomarkers for clinical practice and contributes to revealing the potential pathogenesis of this malignancy.

Metabolites: a converging node of host and microbe to explain meta-organism

“…Table 2 lists MIMOSA ( Noecker et al, 2016 ), BioTransformer, and gutMGene ( Cheng et al, 2022 ) databases that can inform about meta-organisms by integrating metabolomics across different kingdoms and organisms. This knowledge can lead us to design therapeutic strategies ( Shi et al, 2021 ).…”

The Role of Indoor Microbiome and Metabolites in Shaping Children’s Nasal and Oral Microbiota: A Pilot Multi-Omic Analysis

“…Conversely, certain microbes like Corynebacterium and Dolosigranulum are thought to have protective roles against such respiratory diseases [7,8]. Furthermore, high microbial alpha diversity/richness within the nasal microbiome has been suggested to confer protective effects against nasal diseases [9].…”

Facial Natural Killer/T-Cell Lymphoma: A Deadly Sinusitis Mimic

“…While emergency physicians see a myriad of sinusitis and pre-septal cellulitis, other conditions may mimic this presentation. One such nefarious etiology includes natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL), an extranodal Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which can rarely present as isolated facial swelling [3][4][5]. However, it more commonly presents with nasal complaints such as rhinorrhea, epistaxis, or chronic congestion [3][4][5].…”

“…One such nefarious etiology includes natural killer (NK)/T-cell lymphoma (NKTL), an extranodal Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, which can rarely present as isolated facial swelling [3][4][5]. However, it more commonly presents with nasal complaints such as rhinorrhea, epistaxis, or chronic congestion [3][4][5]. We present a case of a young female with subacute facial and periorbital edema with cranial nerve deficits resembling sinusitis and pre-septal cellulitis refractory to appropriate antibiotics with an eventual diagnosis of primary NKTL.…”