New Delhi, May 9 : A simple oral rinse may be key to check early risks of gastric cancer -- the fourth-leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, according to a study on Thursday.

Researchers, from Rutgers University in the US, showed that a simple oral rinse helped them identify distinct oral bacteria patterns in patients with cancer or precancerous conditions.

However, the difference between the samples "was very little", they said, noting that it "suggests that the changes in the microbiome may occur as soon as the stomach environment starts to undergo changes that can eventually turn into cancer".

The results were based on bacteria samples from the mouths of 98 patients scheduled for endoscopy, of which 30 had gastric cancer, 30 presented premalignant gastric conditions, and 38 were healthy controls.

"We see that the oral microbiome and the stomach microbiome are connected, and knowing what bugs are in your mouth tells us what the stomach environment is like," said Shruthi Reddy Perati, general surgery resident at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson School of Medicine.

Importantly, the findings suggest oral bacteria alone could be biomarkers for gastric cancer risk.

As per the findings, the team also developed a model of the 13 bacterial genera representing the most significant differences between controls and the cancer and pre-cancer patients.

The findings will be presented at the Digestive Disease Week (DDW) 2024 in Washington, D.C.

/IANS