Impact of tumor site on the prognosis of salivary gland neoplasms: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

In numerous types of cancer, the primary tumor site can show a correlation with disease behavior and survival outcomes. In salivary gland tumors (SGTs) this association remains controversial. This study assessed the association between primary sites of SGTs and prognosis. Studies from five databases were assessed and a meta-analysis was performed using studies that presented 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI), hazard ratio (HR) and survival analysis. Gathered information from 46,361 patients showed that site had a prognostic impact on SGTs. Tumors involving minor salivary glands showed worse overall survival (HR = 1.60; 95 % CI = 1.17-2.19; p = 0.003), disease-specific survival (HR=1.63; 95 % CI = 1.12-2.37; p = 0.01), and cause-specific survival (HR=2.10; 95 % CI = 1.72-2.55; p = 0.00001). Tumors from major salivary glands showed better recurrence-free survival (HR=2.31; 95 % CI = 1.77-3.02; p = 0.00001), and locoregional control of disease (HR=2.66; 95 % CI = 1.20-5.91; p = 0.02). Our results showed that the primary site of SGTs has an impact on patient prognosis.

Prognostic value of the immunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factors in malignant salivary gland neoplasms: a systematic review and meta-analysis / Valor pronóstico de la expresión inmunohistoquímica de vascular. Factores de crecimiento endotelial en neoplasias malignas de glándulas salivales: una revisión sistemática y un metanálisis

Background: The immunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factor is a prognostic markerin several cancer types. In salivary gland tumors, the association between vascular endothelial growth factor andprognosis remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review and meta-analysis to as-sess whether the immunohistochemical expression of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with salivarygland neoplasms presents prognostic value.Material and Methods: Immunohistochemical studies assessing the predictive value of vascular endothelialgrowth factor in salivary gland neoplasms were systematically reviewed using PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Co-chrane Library, and Web of Science databases. It was assessed any survival rates. The fixed-effect model withan adjusted hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) as effect measures were performed in themeta-analysis. The Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool was used to assess the quality of the included stud-ies, and the evidence quality was assessed by the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, andEvaluation (GRADE) system.Results: The immunohistochemical overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients with salivarygland neoplasms was associated with shortened survival (HR=5.37, 95% CI: 2.67-10.83, P = 0.00001). In addition,the presence of vascular endothelial growth factor was tightly associated with tumor size, lymph node metastasis,clinical stage, perineural invasion, vascular invasion, poor local control of the disease, and recurrence.Conclusions: The immunohistochemical overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor in patients withsalivary gland neoplasms has prognostic value and was associated with decreased survival time. However, moreprimary well-designed studies are necessary to increase the level of evidence.(AU)

Using an Untargeted Metabolomics Approach to Identify Salivary Metabolites in Women with Breast Cancer.

Metabolic alterations are a hallmark of the malignant transformation in cancer cells, which is characterized by multiple changes in metabolic pathways that are linked to macromolecule synthesis. This study aimed to explore whether salivary metabolites could help discriminate between breast cancer patients and healthy controls. Saliva samples from 23 breast cancer patients and 35 healthy controls were subjected to untargeted metabolomics using liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry and a bioinformatics tool (XCMS Online), which revealed 534 compounds, characterized by their retention time in reverse-phase liquid chromatography and by the m/z ratio detected, that were shared by the two groups. Using the METLIN database, 31 compounds that were upregulated in the breast cancer group (p < 0.05) were identified, including seven oligopeptides and six glycerophospholipids (PG14:2, PA32:1, PS28:0, PS40:6, PI31:1, and PI38:7). In addition, pre-treatment and post-treatment saliva samples were analyzed for 10 patients who experienced at least a partial response to their treatment. In these patients, three peptides and PG14:2 were upregulated before but not after treatment. The area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity for PG14:2 was 0.7329, 65.22%, and 77.14%, respectively. These results provide new information regarding the salivary metabolite profiles of breast cancer patients, which may be useful biomarkers.