Plasma-Derived Inflammatory Proteins Predict Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Biomarker Discovery
• Immunology

Background:

• Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) presents significant global health challenges, with late-stage diagnosis leading to aggressive treatments and reduced quality of life.
• Early detection strategies for OSCC are critically needed to improve patient outcomes.
• Inflammatory protein plasma biomarkers are emerging as valuable tools for cancer detection and monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To screen plasma-derived biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) using a multiplex approach.
• To investigate the association between measurable inflammatory proteins and OSCC.
• To identify potential biomarkers for early OSCC detection.

Main Methods:

• A multiplex electrochemiluminescence assay was used to measure 82 inflammatory biomarkers in 260 plasma samples (210 OSCC, 50 controls).
• Initial screening identified 16 potential biomarkers, which were then verified in a separate sample set.
• Unsupervised clustering and linear regression analyses were performed to assess biomarker performance in classifying OSCC.

Main Results:

• 16 cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors were identified as potential OSCC biomarkers.
• 14 biomarkers were significantly lower in OSCC patients, while interleukin 1 receptor antagonist (IL1Ra) was significantly higher.
• A combination of IL2, IL1Ra, and macrophage inhibitory factor (MIF) achieved high accuracy (0.96 sensitivity, 0.92 specificity) in classifying OSCC.

Conclusions:

• This study is the first to identify potential inflammatory plasma protein biomarkers for OSCC.
• The identified biomarkers, particularly IL1Ra, show promise for assisting in the early detection of localized and treatable OSCC.
• Further validation of these biomarkers could lead to improved diagnostic tools for OSCC.