Saliva tests suggest it could be easier to detect oral and throat cancer earlier

, cancers that occur in the back of the mouth and upper throat are usually not diagnosed until their condition worsens, in part because their location makes them difficult to detect during routine clinical examinations. A report published in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics describes the use of acoustic fluids, a new non-invasive method for analyzing the presence of human papillomavirus (HPV)-16 in saliva, a pathogenic strain associated with oral and pharynx cancer. The new technique detected oral cancer in the entire saliva of 40 percent of the patients and 80 percent of those diagnosed with oral cancer.
“ Oral cancer has about 115,000 cases worldwide each year and is one of the fastest growing cancers in Western countries due to an increase in human papillomavirus-related incidence, especially among young patients. "Developing monitoring methods to improve early detection and results is critical," explained lead researcher Dr. Huang Jun, co-lead researcher in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina. DrHuang added: "Given these factors, there are clear advantages to successful detection of human papillomavirus in saliva foreign bodies isolated from our sound and light platforms, including early detection, risk assessment and screening. The technology could also help doctors predict which patients are responding well to radiation therapy or achieve longer, non-progressive lifetimes. "
foreign bodies are tiny micro-bubbles that originate from cells secreted into the body's fluids. They are believed to play a role in intercellular communication, and their numbers increase with several types of cancer. Acoustic and optical fluids are advanced technologies for fusion of acoustics and microflows. Fluid samples are analyzed using a tiny sound and light chip that separates saliva foreign bodies by removing unwanted particles based on size, leaving a concentrated sample rich in foreign bodies, making it easier to detect tumor-specific biomarkers.
For the study, researchers used traditional methods to analyze saliva samples from 10 patients diagnosed with human papillomavirus oral cancer. They found that when combined with a droplet digital polymerase chain reaction, the technique identified the tumor biomarker HPV-16 in 80 percent of cases. Since the method is independent of sample variability due to changes in saliva viscosity and the collection method used, it may prove to be ideal for clinical applications.
Dr. Huang highlighted some of the features of the technology, including automation and rapid external separation (less than 5 minutes to process, and about 8 hours to process using the reference technology). Analysis can be done at relatively low cost and care points. In addition, unlike traditional biopsies, it is suitable for repeated and continuous monitoring of tumor progression and treatment.
"With these features, acoustic fluid technology has the potential to significantly exceed current industry standards, address unseeded needs in the field, help accelerate biomedical research related to exosomes, and help identify new exosome biomarkers," Dr. Huang commented."Saliva exosome fluid biopsy is an effective early detection and risk assessment method for OPC," said lead researcher David Wang, co-lead researcher at the Center for Oral/Head and Neck Tumor Research at the UCLA School of Dentistry. Acoustic fluid separation technology provides a fast, bio-compatible, high-yielding, high-purity, unmarked method for the separation of foreign bodies in saliva, which researchers say can also be used to analyze other biological fluids, such as blood, urine and plasma. The
is an international cooperation between Duke University, UCLA and the University of Birmingham (UK). Professor Hisham Mehner, dean of the School of Head and Neck Research and Education at the University of Birmingham in the UK, said: "The results demonstrate the power of interdisciplinary research and international cooperation. ”（cyy123.com）