Oral Squamous Cell Cancer Early Detection Using Salivary Biomarkers

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a very frequently occurring cancer type. A salivary biomarker-based noninvasive diagnostic technique helps as promising method in the early detection of cancer. This research was done to assess salivary biomarkers' diagnostic value for early OSCC identification.

One hundred and twenty people participated in a hospital-based case-control study, 60 of whom were OSCC patients with histological confirmation and 60 of whom were healthy controls. Biomarkers such as interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-1β, matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), CD44, soluble CD44, CYFRA 21-1, and lactate dehydrogenase were detected using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay on unstimulated saliva samples. SPSS version 25.0 was used for statistical analysis. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to assess diagnostic ability and make intergroup comparisons.

When compared to controls, all salivary biomarkers were considerably higher in OSCC patients (P < 0.001). Among the individual markers, IL-8 had the best diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve [AUC] =0.92), followed by MMP-9 and CYFRA 21-1. Biomarkers showed strong positive associations with OSCC, suggesting biological interdependence. With an AUC of 0.96, sensitivity of 93.3%, and specificity of 91.7%, the combined biomarker panel showed outstanding diagnostic performance.

Salivary biomarkers have greater assurance for noninvasively and accurately identifying OSCC at a very early stage. The use of multiple biomarkers together can lead to better diagnosis and could help in early screening and achieve good clinical results.