Sensitivity and specificity of salivary pipecolic acid in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Aim: The aim of the present preliminary case-control study was to test the sensitivity and specificity of salivary pipecolic acid in predicting head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: High-performance liquid chromatography was used for the analysis of non-stimulated saliva samples fr...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autores: Ferrazzo, Kívia Linhares, Melo, Larissa Daiane Willrich de, Danesi , Cristiane Cademartori, Thomas, Alexander, Bonzanini, Laura Izabel Lampert, Zanatta, Nilo
Formato: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2023
País:Brasil
Recursos:Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP)
Repositorio:Brazilian journal of oral sciences (Online)
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ojs.periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br:article/8668473
Acesso em linha:https://periodicos.sbu.unicamp.br/ojs/index.php/bjos/article/view/8668473
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palavra-chave:Saliva
Biomarkers
Squamous cell carcinoma of head and neck
Descrição
Resumo:Aim: The aim of the present preliminary case-control study was to test the sensitivity and specificity of salivary pipecolic acid in predicting head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Methods: High-performance liquid chromatography was used for the analysis of non-stimulated saliva samples from 40 individuals: 20 in the case group (recently diagnosed with untreated HNSCC) and 20 in the control group (individuals without cancer). Both groups included patients taking daily oral hypoglycemic drugs (comorbidity). The case and control groups were matched at a proportion of 1:1 for sex and comorbidity. Results: Mean salivary levels of pipecolic acid were 169.38 ng/ mL in the case group and 114.66 ng/mL in the control group (p<0.001). Individuals who took oral hypoglycemic drugs had higher levels of pipecolic acid in both the case and control groups (p<0.001). The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis revealed 90% sensitivity and 65% specificity for head and neck cancer, with an area under the curve of 0.838 between the case and control groups. Conclusions: Pipecolic acid had high sensitivity for the diagnosis of HNSCC but low specificity in the sample analyzed. Our findings suggest that salivary pipecolic acid levels are associated with glucose homeostasis. Studies with larger samples are required to evaluate the specificity of this metabolite.