A New Era in the Diagnosis of Oral Cancer – ‘Salivary Biomarkers’ : A Brief Review.

ABSTRACT

Sensitive and reliable early diagnostic markers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) remain unavailable. Early identification of recurrence for OSCC is also a challenge. Unlike the other deep cancers, OSCC is located in oral cavity. The DNA, RNA, and protein derived from the living cancer cells and inflammatory cells can be conveniently obtained from saliva. High-throughput genomic and proteomic approaches have been carried out to identify the potential biomarkers in body fluids such as saliva and blood for diagnosis and prognosis of OSCC. Using saliva for disease diagnostics and health surveillance is a promising approach as collecting saliva is relatively easy and noninvasive. This article reviewed the recently identified biomarkers from saliva for OSCC. Effective screening to identify high-risk patients can allow the clinician to provide the appropriate treatment without delay and to reduce the recurrence of OSCC.