Salivary is a gender-difference biomarker of oral squamous cell carcinoma.

BACKGROUND

The X-linked tumor suppressor gene is reported to be involved in oral cancer. The detection of biomarkers in salivary RNA is a non-invasive strategy for diagnosing many diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential of salivary as a biomarker of oral cancer.

METHODS

We determined the expression levels of in the saliva of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) subjects, and investigated its correlation with various clinicopathological characteristics. The expression levels of salivary were detected in 53 OSCC subjects and 43 healthy controls using quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis. We used Fisher's exact test to analyze the correlations between expression levels and clinicopathological characteristics.

RESULTS

Salivary was significantly upregulated in females with OSCC ( = 0.0072), and significantly downregulated in males with OSCC ( = 0.0206). Eighty-nine percent of male OSCC subjects who smoked expressed low levels of . OSCC cell lines derived from male OSCC subjects expressed low levels of .

CONCLUSIONS

A high level of salivary expression is a biomarker of OSCC in females. A high percentage of male OSCC subjects who smoke express low levels of salivary . A low level of salivary expression is a biomarker of OSCC in males.