Patients with higher levels of Tannerella forsythia bacteria, which can be associated with gum disease, may have a greater risk of esophageal cancer. The increase may be as much as 21% according to a study in Cancer Research. Other bacteria, for example Streptococcus and Neisseria bacteria, were linked to decreased risk. “Our study indicates that learning more about the role of oral microbiota may potentially lead to strategies to prevent esophageal cancer, or at least to identify it at earlier stages,” said researcher Jiyoung Ahn of New York University’s Langone Medical Center.