A-Z topics: Science in the News

Salivary Diagnostics and Breast Cancer Screening

• Overview
• Read More "Science in the News"

Overview

The Houston Chronicle recently published a story on the potential use of saliva for diagnosing and monitoring systemic diseases.¹ This article was based largely on research conducted at the University of Texas-Houston² (and previous studies from the University of Mississippi).^3-8

Currently, investigators at the University of Texas-Houston are evaluating whether the protein c-erbB-2, a biomarker that is elevated in patients with breast cancer, can be detected in saliva. Also known as Her2/neu, c-erbB-2 is released from the cancer cell’s surface and can be a prognostic breast cancer biomarker.

New technologies to detect very small amounts of proteins and ribonucleic acids (RNAs) have been applied to the analysis of human saliva, which is giving promise to the development of saliva-based tests that may be used to diagnose or monitor diseases. These technologies enable the simultaneous analysis of many components of saliva, including the salivary transcriptome (all “messenger RNAs,” or mRNAs, in saliva) and the salivary proteome (all proteins in saliva).

Multiple researchers are investigating whether biomarkers of oral and systemic diseases can be identified in saliva. The University of Texas-Houston team has confirmed that the small quantities of c-erbB-2 found in saliva can be detected using the new technologies. This holds promise for the development of a saliva-based test for the diagnosis or management of breast cancer patients.

Scientific research continues to suggest that salivary diagnostics offer a new approach to non-invasive tests and potential diagnostic tools for disease detection and surveillance. Ongoing research in this field also illustrates how dental practitioners and good oral health are important to general health and well-being.

Return to Top

¹Green SD. A diagnosis within spitting distance. The Houston Chronicle, December 7, 2006. Available at: “http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/health/4384567.html ”. Accessed December 13, 2006.

²Streckfus CF, Bigler LR, Zwick M. The use of surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry to detect putative breast cancer markers in saliva: a feasibility study. J Oral Pathol Med 2006 May;35(5):292-300.

³Streckfus C, Bigler L. The use of soluble, salivary c-erbB-2 for the detection and post-operative follow-up of breast cancer in women: the results of a five-year translational research study. Adv Dent Res 2005 Jun;18(1):17-24.

⁴Streckfus CF, Bigler L, Dellinger T, Kuhn M, Chouinard N, Dai X. The expression of the
c-erbB-2 receptor protein in glandular salivary secretions. J Oral Pathol Med 2004 Nov;33(10):595-600.

⁵Bigler LR, Streckfus CF, Copeland L, Burns R, Dai X, Kuhn M, Martin P, Bigler SA. The potential use of saliva to detect recurrence of disease in women with breast carcinoma. J Oral Pathol Med 2002 Aug;31(7):421-31.

⁶Streckfus CF, Bigler LR. Saliva as a diagnostic fluid. Oral Dis 2002 Mar;8(2):69-76.

⁷Streckfus C, Bigler L, Dellinger T, Dai X, Cox WJ, McArthur A, Kingman A, Thigpen JT. Reliability assessment of soluble c-erbB-2 concentrations in the saliva of healthy women and men. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2001 Feb;91(2):174-9.

⁸Streckfus C, Bigler L, Dellinger T, Dai X, Cox WJ, McArthur A, Kingman A, Thigpen JT. The presence of soluble c-erbB-2 in saliva and serum among women with breast carcinoma: a preliminary study. Clin Cancer Res 2000 Jun;6(6):2363-70.

Return to Top

Science in the News is a service by the American Dental Association (ADA) to present current information about science topics in the news. The ADA is a professional association of dentists committed to the public's oral health, ethics, science and professional advancement; leading a unified profession through initiatives in advocacy, education, research and the development of standards. As a science-based organization, the ADA's evaluation of the scientific evidence may change as more information becomes available. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Document Posted December 2006

To view a PDF file, you need Adobe Reader. Click on the logo to download.