Saliva test detects occult HPV oral cancer.

“Unlike cervical cancer, there is no standard or routing screening program for HPV-driven OPC [i.e. oropharyngeal cancer].  HPV DNA from OPC tumors may shed directly into saliva, and this can be used as a biomarker for early diagnosis.  In this study, we [researchers at Queensland University in Brisbane, Australia] report the first-ever clinically occult OPC in an asymptomatic patient discovered through a saliva test.  This case relied upon serial measurements of HPV-16 DNA in saliva, which fell to undetectable levels following low morbidity, curative treatment.”  MORE

Image Credit: Medscape.com and Queensland University