Evaluating the prognostic value of microbial communities in predicting recurrence of laryngeal carcinoma: a multicenter case-control study

Laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) presents significant treatment challenges, especially regarding recurrence after larynx-preservation therapy. We identified distinct microbial community structures between recurrence and non-recurrence groups, particularly highlighting the genera abundance of Fusobacterium and Serratia. However, larynx-preserving therapy did not significantly alter microbial diversity in recurrent patients. Survival analysis identified Fusobacterium and Serratia as independent prognostic factors for recurrence, leading to the development of a Serratia-Fusobacterium (SF) prognostic scoring model. The SF model achieved an AUC of 81.37% for predicting recurrence, outperforming the TNM staging system. LSCC patients classified as high-risk by the SF model exhibited significantly shorter disease-free survival (DFS) compared to low-risk patients in the LSCC cohort. Furthermore, the SF model demonstrated an AUC of 78.48% in the multi-center cohort for predicting recurrence. In conclusion, the Serratia-Fusobacterium prognostic scoring model can predict LSCC recurrence after larynx-preserving therapy and provide valuable insights to inform recommendations for LSCC surveillance.