Salivary and serum leptin levels in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa

Leptin levels are associated with appetite and energy expenditure in healthy individuals. The present study aims to evaluate serum and salivary leptin concentrations in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa. Enrolled participants in this study included 41 patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa and 40 healthy control patients. Serum leptin levels were measured via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method in all subjects and reported in units of nanograms per millilitre. Salivary leptin levels were measured by a highly sensitive and specific non-equilibrium version of a dedicated custom radioimmunoassay. A significant reduction in salivary and serum leptin levels in patients with squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa was observed in comparison to control subjects. In addition, a significant correlation was shown between serum and salivary leptin levels on one hand and body mass index, with various histopathological and TNM (tumour nodes metastasis) staging variants of squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa on another. A highly significant correlation was shown between salivary and serum leptin levels in both groups. The results of this study demonstrate a possible mechanism of salivary and serum leptin levels in squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa. Salivary leptin might play a role in squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa.