Adequate Lymph Node Assessments and Investigation of Gut Microorganisms and Microbial Metabolites in Colorectal Cancer

To analyze the lymph node metastasis status and prognosis in CRCs and to investigate the gut microorganisms and microbial metabolites at different lymph node stages. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database and STAT software were used to analyze the clinical features and lymph node metastasis. Bacterial 16S V3-V4 and fungal ITS V3-V4 ribosomal RNA genes were sequenced in 53 stool samples and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GS/MS) was performed to detect the microbial metabolites in 48 stool samples from CRC patients. A higher number of lymph node metastases predicted a poor prognosis. Inadequate evaluation of lymph nodes affects the accuracy of prognostic assessments. We constructed a nomogram model for the assessment of prognostic factors. There were multiple characteristic bacteria identified, including , etc., and fungi, including , etc. A total of 27 characteristic microbial metabolites in different lymph node metastasis status were also identified. Gut microorganisms and microbial metabolites may provide reference and guidance for the adequate lymph node assessments (ALNA) in CRC.