Currently, clinical examination is the only validated technique for early detection of oral cancer. However, data from a study by David Elashoff and colleagues demonstrate that salivary biomarkers can be used to discriminate between patients with oral squamous-cell carcinoma and healthy individuals.

The researchers analyzed 10 previously reported biomarkers (seven mRNAs and three proteins) in 395 individuals. Expression of all 10 biomarkers was higher in patients with oral squamous-cell carcinoma than in healthy participants. Moreover, the increase in expression of interleukin-8 and SAT was statistically significant, and these biomarkers showed the greatest sensitivity and specificity for oral cancer of all those analyzed. These findings indicate that detection of salivary biomarkers is a reasonable strategy for early diagnosis of oral cancer.