Abstract
Saliva is an easy-to access body fluid with high diagnostic potential. The utilization of saliva for oral cancer diagnosis can be an attractive possibility. Besides the oral cancer, it is important to better understand the precancerous lesions such as oral lichen planus (OLP) and leukoplakia (OLK). In order to examine the changes of salivary proteins in controls, patients with oral cancer, and patients with precancerous conditions, proximity extension assay was utilized. Some proteins and functions were characteristic to the examined groups and can serve as a starting point for further biomarker studies. The different nature of OLK and OLP was demonstrated, showing the malignant transformation and the inflammation as the prominent biological processes in the OLK and OLP, respectively. The salivary level of IL6 was verified using quantitative ELISA and the mRNA level was also studied. Elevated IL6 levels could be detected in precancerous groups compared to controls.
Highlights
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for about 92–95% of all cancer in the oral cavity, 2% of all malignant lesions, and more than 30,000 new cases per year worldwide [1]
Our data shows that 7 out of the analyzed 183 proteins does not appear in saliva: interleukin receptors IL2RB, IL15RA, IL22RA1, the interleukins IL2, IL13, and IL33, and the neurturin from the Inflammation panel
Proximity extension assay and network analysis of the results was carried out in case of saliva samples originating from controls, patients with OSCC, Oral lichen planus (OLP), or Oral leukoplakia (OLK)
Summary
Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) accounts for about 92–95% of all cancer in the oral cavity, 2% of all malignant lesions, and more than 30,000 new cases per year worldwide [1]. OSCC is the cancer of the elderly, the average age at diagnosis being 60 years, with a male:female ratio of 2:1 [2]. Hungarian men and women exhibit the highest age-standardized rates both for the incidence and the mortality of oral cavity and pharyngeal cancers in Europe, without substantial improvement in the last decades [3]. The development of OSCC takes years, and risk factors such as Biomedicines 2020, 8, 610; doi:10.3390/biomedicines8120610 www.mdpi.com/journal/biomedicines. TP53 mutations have prognostic value in OSCC, as well as predicting the responsiveness of the disease to platinum-based anticancer drugs [8]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
