Pathogenic gut bacteria migrate to the pancreas in patients with pancreatic cancer.

The bacteria prevents the immune system from attacking tumor cells, accelerating tumor growth.

The study found that bacteria that are more abundant in pancreatic cancers (including proteobacteria, actinobacteria, and fusobacteria) release lipopolysaccharides (which are bacterial cell membrane components) and this shifts the key immune cells in the pancreas into immune suppression.