Beta-defensin index: A functional biomarker for oral cancer detection.

ABSTRACT: There is an unmet clinical need for a non-invasive and cost-effective test for oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) that informs clinicians when a biopsy is warranted. Human beta-defensin 3 (hBD-3), an epithelial cell-derived anti-microbial peptide, is pro-tumorigenic and overexpressed in early-stage OSCC compared to hBD-2. We validate this expression dichotomy in carcinoma in situ and OSCC lesions using immunofluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. The proportion of hBD-3/hBD-2 levels in non-invasively collected lesional cells compared to contralateral normal cells, obtained by ELISA, generates the beta-defensin index (BDI). Proof-of-principle and blinded discovery studies demonstrate that BDI discriminates OSCC from benign lesions. A multi-center validation study shows sensitivity and

SUBMITTER: Ghosh SK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10983043 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature