Application of saliva protein fingerprints in the diagnosis of oral squamous cell cancer by surface enhanced laser desorption ionization time of flight mass

Abstract

To screen proteomic markers of oral precancerous lesion, local and metastatic squamous cell cancer from human saliva. Seventeen patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma, six cases with leukoplakia, seven cases with local metastasis and 15 healthy subjects were selected. All patients were diagnosed of T(1)N(0)M(0) and did not accept any preoperative treatment. Saliva samples were collected preoperatively, combined in the chips (CM-10) for two copies, and tested by surface enhanced laser desorption/ionization (SELDI) mass spectrometry respectively. Chips were detected by the PBS-II plus mass spectrometer reader. Mass accuracy was calibrated by the all-in-one peptide molecular mass standard (ciphergen ciosystems). The differentiated pattern between oral squamous cell carcinoma and healthy people consisted of four biomarker peaks of 5797, 2902, 3883, 4951 (mass/charge) with the sensitivity of 88.24% and specificity of 93.33%. The differentiated pattern between oral squamous cell carcinoma and leukoplakia consisted of three biomarker peaks of 5818, 4617 and 3884 with the sensitivity of 100.00% and specificity of 100.00%. The differentiated pattern between oral squamous cell carcinoma and oral cancer with local metastatic consisted of three biomarker peaks of 55 809 and 5383 (mass/charge) with the sensitivity of 94.12% and specificity of 85.71%. The biomarkers selected by SELDI could help in the adjuvant early diagnosis of oral cancer and forecasting the transformation from leukoplakia to oral cancer and metastasis.