Diagnostic Accuracy of Liquid Biopsy for Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders and Head and Neck Cancer: an Overview of Systematic Reviews

Purpose of Review The aim of this overview is to appraise the evidence on salivary biomarkers for H&N cancer diagnosis. The acronym PICOS was used to develop the eligibility criteria and the focused review question: are liquid biopsies (saliva biomarkers) reliable for cancer detection in H&N cancer patients? Electronic database search encompassed PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and LILACS. Risk of Bias (RoB) was assessed through AMSTAR 2. Recent Findings A total of 20 SRs were included. Only seven SRs were able to reach more solid conclusions around the retrieved findings by calculating the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and the overall area under the curve (AUC). Despite the limitations, significant RoB, and lack of test metrics in primary studies, all SRs recognize and encourage the potential role of saliva in the early diagnosis of oral cancer.

Automated summary

The purpose of this overview is to evaluate the evidence on salivary biomarkers for the diagnosis of head and neck cancer. Using the PICOS model, eligibility criteria and the focused review question: are liquid biopsies (saliva biomarkers) reliable for cancer detection in H&N cancer patients were developed. Electronic database search included PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and LILACS. Risk of Bias (RoB) was assessed using AMSTAR 2. Recent findings: a total of 20 SRs were included. Only seven SRs were able to reach more solid conclusions by calculating the pooled sensitivity, specificity, and the overall area under the curve (AUC). Despite limitations, significant RoB, and lack of test metrics in primary studies, all SRs acknowledge and encourage the potential role of saliva in early diagnosis of oral cancer.