Salivary Biomarkers for Oral Cancer Detection - A Review Article

Globally, oral cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer with a high mortality rate. More than 90% of oral cancers are squamous cell carcinomas (SCC). The standard methods used to detect oral cancers include clinical examination, biochemical investigations, and invasive biopsies. The identification of biomarkers from biological fluids (blood, urine and saliva) helps in early diagnosis. Although advancements have been made, not all patients respond to these therapies in the same way. To overcome this, several studies have identified biomarkers that can identify the patient who may benefit from a particular treatment or are at risk of poor prognosis. Saliva is the safest and most easily accessible biofluid, it requires non - invasive sampling techniques. Saliva is composed of secretions from both major and minor salivary glands. Biomarkers play a vital role in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of various diseases. Oral cancer lesions have direct contact with saliva, making it a more specific and potentially sensitive screening tool. Saliva has a broad spectrum of biomarkers that can be classified into Proteome, genome, epigenome, transcriptome, microbiome, and metabolome. However, further research is required for the reliability and validation of salivary biomarkers for clinical applications.