A new perspective on diagnostic strategies concerning the potential of saliva-based miRNA signatures in oral cancer - Review

Sep 21, 2026

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Oral cancer is a leading global malignancy, with risk rising markedly after age 45, and outcomes strongly depending on diagnostic stage. Despite the discovery of numerous noninvasive biomarkers from saliva and other biofluids, few have entered routine clinical practice. This review focuses on microRNAs (miRNAs): how salivary miRNA expression profiles reflect the tumor molecular milieu, their roles in diagnosis, aetiology, prognosis, and their promise as therapeutic targets. Challenges include OSCC heterogeneity, variability in sample collection, processing, and storage.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages14

Reading Time35 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Oral cancer burden and diagnosis-related survival differences

Rationale for microRNAs and their molecular role

Prasad et al. Diagnostic Pathology (2024) 19:147 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s13000-024-01575-1](https://doi.org/10.1186/s13000-024-01575-1) Diagnostic Pathology REVIEW Open Access A new perspective on diagnostic strategies concerning the potential of saliva-based miRNA signatures in oral cancer Monisha Prasad 1, Ramya Sekar2, Malarveni Damodaran Lakshmi Priya3, Sudhir Rama Varma4 and Mohmed Isaqali Karobari5,6* Abstract Oral cancer, the most prevalent cancer worldwide, is far more likely to occur after the age of forty-five, according to the World Health Organization. Although many biomarkers have been discovered over the years using noninvasive saliva samples, biopsies, and human blood, these biomarkers have not been incorporated into standard clinical practice. Investigating the function of microRNAs (miRNAs) in the diagnosis, aetiology, prognosis, and treatment of oral cancer has drawn more attention in recent years. Though salivary microRNA can act as a window into the molecular environment of the tumour, there are challenges due to the heterogeneity of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), diversity in sample collection, processing techniques, and storage conditions. The up and downregulation of miRNAs has been found to have a profound role in OSCC as it regulates tumour stages by targeting many genes. As a result, the regulatory functions of miRNAs in OSCC underscore their significance in the field of cancer biology. Salivary miRNAs are useful diagnostic and prognostic indicators because their abnormal expression profiles shed light on tumour behaviour and patient prognosis. In addition to their diagnostic and prognostic value, miRNAs hold promise as therapeutic targets for oral cancer intervention. The current review shedslight on the challenges and potentials of microRNA studies that could lead to a better understanding of oral cancer prognosis, diagnosis, and therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, the clinical translation of OSCC biomarkers requires cooperation between investigators, physicians, regulatory bodies, and business partners. There is much potential for improving early identification, tracking therapy response, and forecasting outcomes in OSCC patients by including saliva-based miRNAs as biomarkers. Keywords Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), microRNAs (miRNAs), Salivary biomarkers, Diagnosis and prognosis, Therapeutic targets *Correspondence: Mohmed Isaqali Karobari [dr.isaq@gmail.com](dr.isaq@gmail.com) 1Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha Medical College and Hospitals, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 602105, India 2Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology & Oral Microbiology, Meenakshi Ammal Dental College and Hospital, MAHER, Alapakkam Main Road, Maduravoyal, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600095, India 3PG Department of Biochemistry, Auxilium College (Autonomous), Vellore, Tamil Nadu 632006, India 4Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Dentistry, Center of Medical and Bio-Allied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman University, Ajman-346, Ajman, UAE 5Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai, Tamil Nadu 600077, India 6Department of Restorative Dentistry & Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Puthisastra, Phnom Penh 12211, Cambodia © The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this articl

FAQs

Why are saliva-based miRNA signatures important for oral cancer diagnosis and prognosis?

Salivary miRNAs can mirror the tumor’s molecular environment, and abnormal expression patterns help indicate tumor behavior and patient prognosis.

What main challenges limit clinical translation of salivary miRNA biomarkers in oral cancer?

Clinical translation is hindered by OSCC heterogeneity and variability across saliva sample collection, processing methods, and storage conditions.

How do microRNAs contribute to oral squamous cell carcinoma biology?

Up- and downregulation of miRNAs plays a role in OSCC by regulating tumor stages through targeting multiple genes, supporting their relevance in cancer biology.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Eden