Submit

Login Login

Register Register

Home / Journals / OR / Online First / doi:10.32604/or.2025.070871
Journal Menu
Special Issues
Table of Content

All issues

Online First

2025

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

Past Issues

Open Access

REVIEW

Salivary Biomarkers and Their Link to Oncogenic Signaling Pathways in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Diagnostic and Translational Perspectives in a Narrative Review

Wen-Shou Tan1,#, Hsuan Kuo2,#, Chang-Ge Jiang1, Mei-Han Lu1, Yi-He Lu1, Yung-Li Wang1, Ching-Shuen Wang1, Thi Thuy Tien Vo3, I-Ta Lee1,*
1 School of Dentistry, College of Oral Medicine, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
2Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Department of Dentistry, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, 11031, Taiwan
3 Faculty of Dentistry, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, 700000, Vietnam
* Corresponding Author: I-Ta Lee. Email: email
# These authors contributed equally to this work

Oncology Research https://doi.org/10.32604/or.2025.070871

Received 26 July 2025; Accepted 04 November 2025; Published online 01 December 2025

Abstract

This narrative review examines recent advances in salivary biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), a major subtype of oral cancer with persistently low five-year survival rates due to delayed diagnosis. Saliva has emerged as a noninvasive diagnostic medium capable of reflecting both local tumor activity and systemic physiological changes. Various salivary biomarkers, including microRNAs, cytokines, proteins, metabolites, and exosomes, have been linked to oncogenic signaling pathways involved in tumor progression, immune modulation, and therapeutic resistance. Advances in quantitative polymerase chain reaction, mass spectrometry, and next-generation sequencing have enabled comprehensive biomarker profiling, while point-of-care detection systems and saliva-based omics platforms are accelerating clinical translation. Remaining challenges include variability in salivary composition, lack of standardized collection protocols, and insufficient validation across large patient cohorts. This review highlights the mechanistic relevance, diagnostic potential, and translational challenges of salivary biomarkers in OSCC.

Keywords

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC); salivary biomarkers; signaling pathways; non-invasive diagnostics; narrative review

  • 75

    View

  • 19

    Download

  • 0

    Like

Related articles
Copyright© 2025 Tech Science Press
© 1997-2025 TSP (Henderson, USA) unless otherwise stated

Share Link