Replication Data for: Saliva Liquid Biopsy: MMP2, MMP9, and TIMP2 as Potential Diagnostic Biomarkers in Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma

Study purpose and design: This dataset was generated to explore the role of matrix metalloproteinases (MMP-2 and MMP-9) and their inhibitor TIMP-2 as biomarkers associated with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), using salivary liquid biopsy, serum analysis, and tissue immunohistochemistry. The study follows a retrospective analytical case–control design.

Methodology and data collection: The data originate from a retrospective case–control study conducted at the University Hospital Fundación Santa Fe de Bogotá, within the Colombian InterChange/Headspace cohort. The same group of patients with histopathologically confirmed OSCC was considered as the source population; however, different sample sizes were available for each analytical technique depending on sample availability and quality. Salivary biomarker analyses include 60 OSCC cases and 30 controls matched by age and sex. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed on tissue samples available from a subset of these patients (n = 40), using tumor tissue and paired normal adjacent mucosa obtained from routine diagnostic biopsies or surgical resections. Serum samples were available only for a smaller subsample of OSCC cases and were analyzed descriptively.

Saliva samples were collected using a standardized 60-second oral rinse with 10 mL of sterile saline solution, followed by centrifugation and processing of the supernatant. Serum samples were processed from peripheral blood using standard clinical protocols. Tissue samples were formalin-fixed and paraffin-embedded prior to immunohistochemical analysis.

Data types and variables: The dataset includes quantitative measurements of salivary concentrations of MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-2 obtained by ELISA, salivary MMP activity assessed by a generic activity assay, descriptive serum concentrations of the same biomarkers, and semi-quantitative immunohistochemical scores for tissue expression of MMP-2, MMP-9, and TIMP-2.

Supplementary material: In addition to the main dataset, supplementary material is provided containing detailed subgroup analyses, including correlations between salivary biomarker concentrations and histopathological and sociodemographic variables (n = 60), as well as associations between immunohistochemical expression scores and clinicopathological variables (n = 40). These supplementary tables support transparency, reproducibility, and secondary analyses.

Notes on data use: The salivary and tissue data support exploratory analyses of biomarker behavior in OSCC. Serum data are descriptive and exploratory only, as no control samples were available for serum analysis. The dataset is intended to facilitate transparency, reproducibility, and secondary analyses, and to support future validation studies in larger, independent, and externally validated cohorts.