Salivary biomarkers for early detection of oral squamous cell carcinoma and oral potentially malignant disorders

Abstract

Aim: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most prevalent cancers of epithelial origin associated with high morbidity and death. The tumor markers play an increasingly vital role in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The aim of this review was to search for articles in English using the keywords: Saliva markers, Oral squamous cell carcinoma, and Oral potentially malignant disorder in PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Article abstracts and entire texts were evaluated.Background: Recent data suggest that the clinical and histological appearance of oral mucosa may not accurately reflect the underlying genetic alteration. This discrepancy in phenotype and genotype may explain in part for the inability to design effective screening and monitoring strategies based on conventional clinical and microscopic investigation.Review results: These laboratory-based tests may be helpful for screening for early malignancy, assisting in cancer diagnosis, assessing prognosis, surveillance after curative surgery for cancer, predicting medication response or resistance in advance, and monitoring treatment for advanced illness. Conclusion:Salivary biomarkers may have a crucial role in the early detection and successful diagnosis of oral cancer and oral potentially malignant disorders.Clinical Significance: This article may assist in the identification of possible biomarkers for screening and molecular pathology investigation in OSCC patients at high risk.