Salivary inflammatory proteins in patients with oral potentially malignant disorders

Cytokines are a group of small proteins involved in the regulation of infection, immune responses and inflammation. Since altered cytokine responsiveness has been linked to Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC), research to date indicates the possibility of using salivary pro- and anti-inflammatory proteins for screening of oral disorders. OSCC is a multistep neoplasia in which many genetic and epigenetic changes have been correlated to cancerous transformation of oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMD) such as oral leukoplakia, erythroplakia and lichen planus. The goal of the innovative salivary diagnostics is the identification of a single or multiple biomarkers that will serve as a clinical test facilitating the diagnosis of patients predisposed to develop OSCC. Based on scientific literature review, this article summarizes the results from nine articles, all of them being case-control studies where TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6 and IL-8 were considered possible indicators of malignant transformation. Key words:Interleukins, saliva, oral premalignant lesions.