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CASE REPORT article

Front. Immunol.
Sec. Cancer Immunity and Immunotherapy
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2024.1477477
This article is part of the Research Topic Community Series in Cell Network in Antitumor Immunity of Pediatric and Adult Solid Tumors: Volume II View all 8 articles

Case Report: Non-Invasive Cyto-Salivary Sampling and Biomarker Detection via ELISA versus Histopathology for Diagnosing Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders -Insights from a Case-Control Study

Provisionally accepted
Federico Rebaudi Federico Rebaudi 1Alberto Rebaudi Alberto Rebaudi 2Albertoluigi Rebaudi Albertoluigi Rebaudi 2Alfredo De Rosa Alfredo De Rosa 3Silvia Pesce Silvia Pesce 1,4Marco Greppi Marco Greppi 1Marco Roghi Marco Roghi 5Maurizio Boggio Maurizio Boggio 4Simona Candiani Simona Candiani 6Emanuela Marcenaro Emanuela Marcenaro 1,4*
  • 1 Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genova, Genova, Italy
  • 2 Private Practice,, Genoa, Italy
  • 3 Multidisciplinary Department of Medical-Surgical and Dental Specialties, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, Naples, Italy
  • 4 IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy, Genova, Italy
  • 5 Department of Oral Pathology, Istituto Stomatologico Italiano, Milan, Italy
  • 6 Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences (DISTAV), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Oral leukoplakia is classified among oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs) by the World Health Organization (WHO). The visual oral examination (VOE) is the most used method for identifying lesions in their early stages. Given that the diagnosis of oral cancer is often late, there is an urgent need for early detection and examination of oral lesions. Surgical biopsy represents the gold standard as a diagnostic method, but because it is invasive, it cannot be repeated for periodic checks. We report the case of a lesion on the buccal mucosa of a 65-year-old male patient with a malignant appearance. The patient underwent a novel non-invasive cyto-salivary sampling and ELISA immunoassay for tumor biomarker detection and biopsy with histopathological analysis. The rapid ELISA test results excluded signs of malignancy, providing valuable insights into the lesion's immunophenotypic profile, which were consistent with the histopathological examination findings. This case report highlights the clinical and histopathological characteristics of a lesion with the aspect of Proliferative Verrucous Leukoplakia (PVL), emphasizing its challenging diagnosis and management. The integration of non-invasive cytobrush sampling with biomarker analysis proved valuable in detecting specific tumor biomarkers, potentially indicating ongoing tumor transformation. Monitoring these markers over time could enhance early detection and management strategies, thereby improving patient outcomes. This approach underscores the utility of non-invasive techniques in phenotyping oral lesions and supporting clinical decision-making in oral medicine.

    Keywords: Oral potentially malignant disorders, Cytobrush sampling, Biomarker analysis, histopathology, immune checkpoints

    Received: 07 Aug 2024; Accepted: 11 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Rebaudi, Rebaudi, Rebaudi, De Rosa, Pesce, Greppi, Roghi, Boggio, Candiani and Marcenaro. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Emanuela Marcenaro, Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Genova, Genova, Italy

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