Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) in saliva and oral mucosa in patients with oral lichen planus: preliminary observations

A review of research on salivary biomarkers for oral cancer detection

Using saliva for disease diagnostics and health surveillance is a promising approach as collecting saliva is relatively easy and non-invasive. Over the past two decades, using salivary biomarkers specifically for early cancer detection has attracted much research interest, especially for cancers occurring in the oral cavity and oropharynx, for which the five-year survival rate (62%) is still one of the lowest among all major human cancers. More than 90% of oral cancers are oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and the standard method for detection is through a comprehensive clinical examination by oral healthcare professionals. Despite the fact that the oral cavity is easily accessible, most OSCCs are not diagnosed until an advanced stage, which is believed to be the major reason for the low survival rate, and points to the urgent need for clinical diagnostic aids for early detection of OSCC. Thus, much research effort has been dedicated to investigating potential salivary biomarkers for OSCC, and more than 100 such biomarkers have been reported in the literature. However, some important issues and challenges have emerged that require solutions and further research in order to find reliable OSCC salivary biomarkers for clinical use. This review article provides an up-to-date list of potential OSCC salivary biomarkers reported as of the fall of 2013, and discusses those emerging issues. By raising the awareness of these issues on the part of both researchers and clinicians, it is hoped that reliable, specific and sensitive salivary biomarkers may be found soon-and not only biomarkers for early OSCC detection but also for detecting other types of cancers or even for monitoring non-cancerous disease activity.

Salivary basic fibroblast growth factor in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma or oral lichen planus

OBJECTIVE

The objective of this study was to gather preliminary data concerning the feasibility of using salivary basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) for detecting development of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) in patients with oral lichen planus (OLP), and in patients with OSCC whose disease was in remission.

STUDY DESIGN

Saliva samples were collected from 5 patient groups: patients with newly diagnosed OSCC, patients with OSCC whose disease was in remission, patients with OLP in disease-active state, patients with OLP in disease-inactive state, and healthy controls. Salivary bFGF levels were determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test.

RESULTS

Salivary bFGF levels were significantly elevated in patients with newly diagnosed OSCC compared with patients with OSCC in remission, patients with disease-active OLP, and healthy controls. No significant difference was found between patients with newly diagnosed OSCC and patients with disease-inactive OLP.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggested that salivary bFGF might be a potential biomarker for detecting OSCC development in patients with OSCC in remission, but not in patients with OLP.

Efficacy of Elaeagnus angustifolia Topical Gel in the Treatment of Symptomatic Oral Lichen Planus

Background and aims

The purpose of this study was to determine efficacy of 19% Elaeagnus angustifolia (EA) topical gel in the treatment of symptomatic oral lichen planus.

Materials and methods

Patients with symptomatic oral lichen planus referring to the Department of Oral Medicine, Fac-ulty of Dentistry at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences were asked to participate in the study. Twenty-eight pa-tients who were histopathologically diagnosed with lichen planus were divided into two groups (15 in the case and 13 in the control groups). The subjects were randomly assigned to either topical gel of EA or placebo in a double-blind manner. They were then instructed to apply the medication on dried lesions three times daily. Pain and size of the lesions were evaluated after 2 weeks. Data were analyzed by SPSS 12.0 software, using t-test, paired t-test, Fisher’s exact test and chi-square test.

Results

Twenty-eight patients (m/f: 7/21) with symptomatic oral lichen planus participated in the study. Fifteen patients (m/f: 4/11) received E A gel and 13 patients (m/f: 3/10) received placebo. There was a 75% decrease in pain (33.3% in the case and 7.7% in the control groups), and a decrease of 50% in size (33.3% in the case group) and 75% only in 7.6% of the case group.

Conclusion

The results suggest that 19% EA gel is efficient in the treatment of symptomatic oral lichen planus, with anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects, as well.