Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Salivary Biochemical Markers in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Abstract

The purpose of the work is a comprehensive assessment of biochemical saliva markers for the diagnosis and prognosis of oral cancer. The group of patients included 68 patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, 50 with non-cancerous diseases of the oral cavity, and 114 healthy volunteers. Before the start of treatment, 23 biochemical parameters of saliva were determined. Participants were monitored for six years to assess survival rates. The statistical analysis was performed by means of Statistica 10.0 and R package. A complex of metabolic changes occurring in saliva in oral cancer is described. It was shown that none of the studied parameters could be used to diagnose oral cancer in an independent variant; the use of combinations of parameters is more informative. The high prognostic value of the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) and the Na/K-ratio in saliva before treatment was established. Thus, the content of MDA ˂ 7.34 nmol/mL and the Na/K-ratio > 1.09 c.u. is a prognostically unfavorable factor (HR = 7.88, 95% CI 1.10–54.62, p = 0.01876), which may be useful for optimizing the treatment of patients with oral cancer. It has been shown that saliva has great potential for the development of diagnostic and prognostic tests for oral cancer.

Biochemical markers in saliva in patients with oral cancer

“…By analyzing the concentration of MDA, we showed that in the saliva of patients with periodontal disease there is an increase in its content compared to the group of healthy subjects [44]. Other authors have obtained similar results in the saliva of patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma [45].…”

“…Analizom koncentracije MDA, mi smo pokazali da u pljuvački obolelih od periodontalnih bolesti dolazi do porasta njegovog sadržaja u odnosu na grupu zdravih ispitanika [44]. Drugi autori su dobili slične rezultate u salivi pacijenata sa oralnim skvamoznim karcinomom [45].…”

Evaluation of Changes in Salivary Lactate Dehydrogenase Level for Detection of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Study

“…[ 28 ] Also, in one study, the mean LDH level in the case Grade 3 (G3, poorly differentiated) group was less than in Grade 2 (G2, moderately differentiated) group. [ 32 ]…”

Identification of Possible Salivary Metabolic Biomarkers and Altered Metabolic Pathways in South American Patients Diagnosed with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

“…Previous studies have identified metabolomic biomarkers for OSCC [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43]. Some of these probed salivary metabolites [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36].…”