Novel diagnostic biomarkers in serum identify patients with OSCC

Purpose No blood biomarkers to detect early OSCC without clinical signs exist - diagnosis is solely based on histology of a visible tumor. Most OSCC patients are diagnosed at advanced stage, which leads to significant morbidity and poor survival. If high-risk patients were identified with blood-based biomarkers before clear clinical manifestations, tumors could be detected and treated at earlier stage. Patients and Methods Serum samples were collected from patients with OSCC at the Department of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Helsinki University Hospital (Finland). Age and gender matched healthy individuals served as controls. Quantitative proteomic analysis with mass spectrometry was performed. Results We quantified 388 proteins in the serum samples. A complete separation between cases and controls was seen based on the protein expression profiles. With statistical analyses, we identified a set of eight proteins that most reliably separated OSCC patients from healthy individuals. Although the tumor stages varied from I to IVa, this set of proteins was able to identify all OSCCs and thus is sensitive for detecting even early tumors. Conclusion We are the first to suggest a set of serum biomarkers to be evaluated further as a diagnostic panel to detect preclinical OSCC in risk patients.