Saliva test detects pancreatic cancer

Researchers may have discovered a one major step towards creating a non-invasive tool that would enable clinicians and oncologists to detect pancreatic cancer through a simple test using saliva.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest forms of cancer. Most of those with the disease will die within the first year of diagnosis, and just 6% percent will survive five years.

The disease is typically diagnosed through an invasive and complicated biopsy.

But a study on a tumour-ridden mouse model by UCLA School of Dentistry reveals that pancreatic cancer biomarkers reside in saliva.

The team was led by Dr David Wong, the dentistry school's associate dean of research and the Felix and Mildred Yip Endowed Professor in Dentistry.

The findings are published in a recent issue of the peer-reviewed Journal of Biological Chemistry.

To date, salivary biomarker panels have been successfully developed for cancers of the breast, ovaries, lungs and pancreas.

However, researchers in the field of salivary diagnostics are still attempting to understand how biomarkers produced by other parts of the body ultimately appear in the mouth.

Scientists have surmised that RNA molecules — which translate genetic code from DNA to make protein — are secreted into extracellular spaces and act as an information signal system, representing an innovative model in intercellular signaling.

With this understanding, Wong's research team was able to demonstrate that tumor-derived extracellular RNA molecules are transported through organelles called exosome vesicles that originate at the source of the tumour and are re-processed into saliva as biomarkers.

To prove it, the researchers examined mice models with pancreatic cancer whose saliva showed evidence of biomarkers for pancreatic cancer. When they inhibited the production of exosomes at the source of the tumor, the researchers found that the pancreatic cancer biomarkers no longer appeared in the mouse's saliva.

Their discovery supports their claim that tumour-derived exosomes provide a mechanism in the development of disease-specific biomarkers in saliva.

Dr Wong said: 'This paper is significant because it provides credibility to the mechanism of systemic disease detection in saliva. We have been able to substantiate the biological connection between systemic disease and the oral cavity.'

The team's findings come on the heels of a $5 million award that Dr Wong recently received from the National Institutes for Health's Common Fund, a strong statement that saliva is proving to be scientifically credible for the detection of systemic disease and is advancing toward clinical maturation.

Dr No-Hee Park, dean of the School of Dentistry, said: 'Dr Wong and his team have provided verifiable evidence to fully explore the use of salivary biomarkers for the detection of life threatening disease in a way that is noninvasive and doesn't cause pain for the patient. This new paper truly confirms a mechanistic tie between systemic diseases and their oral manifestations.'

Favorite
Get the most out of your membership by subscribing to Dentistry CPD
  • Access 600+ hours of verified CPD courses
  • Includes all GDC recommended topics
  • Powerful CPD tracking tools included
Register for webinar
Share
Add to calendar