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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Oral. Health
Sec. Oral Cancers
Volume 5 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2024.1525936
This article is part of the Research Topic Advances and Innovative Discoveries in Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders View all articles

Factors influencing salivary lactate dehydrogenase levels in oral squamous cell carcinoma and oral potentially malignant disorders

Provisionally accepted
Rosa María López-Pintor Rosa María López-Pintor 1José González-Serrano José González-Serrano 1*Carmen Vallina Carmen Vallina 1Katerina Ivaylova Serkedzhieva Katerina Ivaylova Serkedzhieva 1Leire Virto Leire Virto 2Paula Nuevo Paula Nuevo 1VITO CARLO ALBERTO CAPONIO VITO CARLO ALBERTO CAPONIO 1Margarita Iniesta Margarita Iniesta 1Tania Rodríguez Santamarta Tania Rodríguez Santamarta 3Paloma Lequerica Fernández Paloma Lequerica Fernández 3Óscar Iglesias Velázquez Óscar Iglesias Velázquez 1Gonzalo Hernández Gonzalo Hernández 1Juan Carlos De Vicente Rodríguez Juan Carlos De Vicente Rodríguez 1,3
  • 1 Faculty of Dentistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • 2 Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Madrid, Spain
  • 3 Central University Hospital of Asturias, Oviedo, Spain

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

    Introduction: Salivary Lactate Dehydrogenase (sLDH) levels seem to be higher in patients with Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma (OSCC) and Oral Potentially Malignant Disorders (OPMD) than a control group (CG).Methods: Case-control study. Patients with OPMD (oral leukoplakia (OL) and Oral lichen planus (OLP)) and OSCC who attended two services in Spain were selected. sLDH in saliva was measured. Epidemiological, periodontal and specific variables related to OPMD and OSCC were collected.Results: A total of 92 patients were included: 12 with OSCC, 51 with OPMD (17 OL and 34 OLP), and 29 controls. sLDH values were higher in the OSCC, followed by the OPMD and CG groups, although no significant differences were observed. In the OSCC group, larger tumor size was associated with higher sLDH levels. In the OLP group, sLDH values were higher in patients with symptomatic lesions than in patients with only white lesions, but not significantly. No associations were observed between sLDH and the type of OL (homogeneous vs. non-homogeneous) and the degree of dysplasia. When analyzing periodontal variables among OSCC, OPMD and CG, periodontal probing depth (PPD) and bleeding on probing were significantly higher in the OSCC group, while the plaque index was higher in OPMD patients. The linear regression model for sLDH in the total group identified age and PPD as significant predictors of sLDH levels.Discussion: Although sLDH values were higher in OSCC and OPMD patients than in a CG, the results do not support the use of sLDH as a reliable prognostic biomarker of malignancy. Future studies need to consider other factors that may influence sLDH levels, such as age and periodontal status.

    Keywords: L-Lactate Dehydrogenase, Saliva, biomarkers, oral squamous cell carcinoma, Mouth Neoplasms, Oral leukoplakia, Oral lichen planus, Precancerous Conditions

    Received: 10 Nov 2024; Accepted: 13 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 López-Pintor, González-Serrano, Vallina, Serkedzhieva, Virto, Nuevo, CAPONIO, Iniesta, Rodríguez Santamarta, Lequerica Fernández, Iglesias Velázquez, Hernández and De Vicente Rodríguez. 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: José González-Serrano, Faculty of Dentistry, Complutense University of Madrid, Madrid, Spain

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