EFFECTIVENESS OF SALIVAL BIOMARKERS AS A MEAN OF DIAGNOSIS FOR BUCCAL CANCER BASED ON A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF LITERATURE

A systematic review research article, derived from the research on the "effectiveness of salivary biomarkers as a diagnostic tool for oral cancer based on a systematic review of the literature" developed from 2014 to 2016, which has been initiated and Culminated in the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Los Andes. Saliva is a biofluid that can be used for the diagnosis, prevention and monitoring of diseases through biomarkers. It presents advantages compared to blood plasma, since the method of sample collection is "non-invasive" and can be taken directly by the same individual; there is no need for personnel or specialized equipment for its collection and storage, low cost. More than 100 biomarkers have been described in the literature for the detection of oral diseases of neoplastic origin. Methodology: Descriptive investigation of documentary design, since the sources of information were secondary studies published in a period between the years 2005 and 2015. An exhaustive search was carried out during the months of February until November of the year 2015. The databases that Were used for the search of information were: Medline, Elsevier, Lilacs, Scielo, Cochrane Library and Dialnet. For the selection of the studies, several exclusion criteria were considered and to perform the analysis of the data of this investigation, the texts were reviewed in parts, all this in order to look for patterns and thus to be able to categorize the information And display the results in a clear and detailed manner. Results: Of the articles consulted, cytokines can be said to be the most specific for the diagnosis of oral cancer. Specifically IL-6 and IL-8; CD44 is known to be effective in detecting premalignant lesions. In this order, miRNAs are considered high specificity molecules; Whose characteristic allows to testify that they have potential to be excellent prognostic tools in this pathology. Conclusion: It has been possible to clearly demonstrate the effectiveness of the use of these biomarkers obtained through saliva, since they allow the diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis of cancerous diseases as they are altered in the respective tests. In addition, the mentioned biomarkers can be used for the classification of the disease and risk factors in patients with premalignant lesions of the oral cavity or who do not have access to a specialized dentist.