A medical study in the United States has revealed that saliva can be used to detect oral cancer early.
A team from University of California at Los Angeles School of Dentistry and the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, led by David T Wong, associate dean of research, found that the test had over 90 percent success rate in detecting the cancer of throat and mouth.
The team is now testing how effective it is in detecting breast cancer.
During its research, the team studied RNAs produced by genes of cells present in saliva samples taken from 128 people -- 64 with cancer and 64 without -- and looked for certain 'markers' that indicated the disease.
The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research.
The team's study was enabled by sensors that helped study molecules in detail.
It found 3,000 RNA markers in the samples. However, just four patterns are enough to reveal oral cancer, the study revealed.
The team had a success rate of 91 percent in detecting oral cancer with the help of these four patterns. With a blood sample the success rate was 88 percent.
The study has given rise to the hope that similar techniques can be developed to detect heart diseases and diabetes.
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